The king must die so that the country can live.

Food that is necessary for man’s existence is as sacred as life itself. Everything that is indispensable for its preservation is the common property of society as a whole. It is only the surplus that is private property and can be safely left to individual commercial enterprise.

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.

Atheism is aristocratic; the idea of a great Being that watches over oppressed innocence and punishes triumphant crime is altogether popular.

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.