Quotes from Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Ne veut-on pas au moins apprendre de l'objet qu'on aime si l'on est aimé ?

Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains. One man thinks himself the master of others, but remains more of a slave than they are.

Any social arrangements which inhibit or constrain the free creative capacity [of human beings] are fundamentally illegitimate unless they can justify themselves.

Dans cet âge heureux où rien ne marquait les heures, rien n'obligeait à les compter, le temps n'avait d'autre mesure que l'amusement et l'ennui.

If I could have seen her just once again I should have been content to die at that moment.

En cuanto a mí, siempre que he deseado aprender ha sido para saber yo mismo y no para enseñar; siempre he creído que antes de enseñar a los demás era menester comenzar por saber lo bastante para sí, y, de todos los estudios que he intentado hacer en mi vida en medio de los hombres, apenas hay alguno que no hubiera hecho igualmente solo en una isla desierta en la que hubiera estado confinado para el resto de mis días.

On pouvait la voir sans l'aimer, mais non pas la posséder sans l'adorer.

The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences.

When I thus get rid of children's lessons, I get rid of the chief cause of their sorrows, namely their books. Reading is the curse of childhood, yet it is almost the only occupation you can find for children. Emile, at twelve years old, will hardly know what a book is. But, you say, he must, at least, know how to read.

I would rather he never learnt to read at all, than that this art should be acquired at the price of all that makes reading useful. What is the use of reading to him if he always hates it?

Nikdy jsem nemyslil, že svoboda ?lovÄ›ka by záležela v tom, aby dÄ›lal, co chce, nýbrž spíÅ¡, aby nikdy nedÄ›lal, co nechce, a to je svoboda, jíž jsem se vždy dovolával, ?asto ji zachovával a pro kterou jsem byl nejvíce svým vrstevník?m k pohorÅ¡ení

la conscience du coupable vengerait assez l'innocent. Sa prédiction n'a pas été vaine ; elle ne cesse pas un seul jour de s'accomplir.

In the midst of so much philosophy, humanity, and civilization, and of such sublime codes of morality, we have nothing to show for ourselves but a frivolous and deceitful exterior, honor without virtue, reason without wisdom, and pleasure without happiness.

I would rather be exposed to all their torments than be obliged to think about them in order to protect myself from their attacks.

Young teacher, I am setting before you a difficult task, the art of controlling without precepts, and doing everything without doing anything at all. This art is, I confess, beyond your years, it is not calculated to display your talents nor to make your value known to your scholar's parents; but it is the only road to success.

Herhangi bir yarardan s?yr?lm?? gerçek, bir hak oluÅŸturmaz ve bu nedenle, onu saklayan yalan söylemiÅŸ olmaz.

Dad dinero, y pronto tendréis cadenas

The mind, as well as the body, has its needs: those of the body are the basis of society, those of the mind its ornaments

Las distracciones de mis diarios paseos se han llenado a menudo de encantadoras contemplaciones cuyo recuerdo me lastimo de haber perdido. Fijaré por medio de la escritura las que aún me vengan a la mente; gozaré cada vez que las relea.

Konunun içyüzünü, bildiklerimi yaln?zca adalet kurallar?na göre kullancak denli biliyor muyum? Dahas? var; baÅŸkalar?na borçlu bulunduklar?m?z?, yaln?zca gerçeÄŸe borçlu bulunduklar?m?z? gereÄŸince düÅŸündüm mü? Birini aldat?rken zarara düÅŸürmezsem, bu, kendime zarar vermiyorum demek midir? Kusursuz olmak için haks?zl?k etmemek yeter mi?

on ne connaît d'où est un homme qu'après qu'il a parlé.

There is quite another class of exceptions: those so gifted by nature that they rise above the level of their age. As there are men who never get beyond infancy, so there are others who are never, so to speak, children, they are men almost from birth. The

If you want to say something clever, you have only to talk long enough.

But unity divides. Unity excludes. Unity polarizes. The corollary of the nation's unity is the elimination of any individuals or groups that disrupt that unity. People who do not concur with the nation's interests and goals, who persist in voicing their own private interests, who threaten the nation's unanimity are considered enemies to be banished or punished. Thus, the Rousseauian yearning for cohesion, solidarity, and oneness imposes the psychology of the purge.