Again, it may be said, that to love justice and equality the people need no great effort of virtue; it is sufficient that they love themselves.

Terror is only justice: prompt, severe and inflexible; it is then an emanation of virtue; it is less a distinct principle than a natural consequence of the general principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing wants of the country.

The most extravagant idea that can be born in the head of a political thinker is to believe that it suffices for people to enter, weapons in hand, among a foreign people and expect to have its laws and constitution embraced. No one loves armed missionaries; the first lesson of nature and prudence is to repulse them as enemies.

Terror is nothing more than justice, prompt, secure and inflexible.

The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.

Any law which violates the inalienable rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all.

Crime butchers innocence to secure a throne, and innocence struggles with all its might against the attempts of crime.