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There is no such thing as man in the world. In my lifetime I have seen Frenchmen, Italians, Russians, etc.; thanks to Montesquieu, I even know that one can be Persian. But as for man, I declare that I have never in my life met him; if he exists, he is unknown to me.

— Joseph de Maistre Considerations on France (1796)

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More quotes by Joseph de Maistre

The arts, in general, need a king; they only flourish under the influence of sceptres.

Against Rousseau (1795)

Religious beauty is superior to ideal beauty, since it is the ideal of the ideal.

An Examination of the Philosophy of Francis Bacon (1836)

It is always necessary to call men back to history, which is the first master in politics, or more exactly the only master.

Against Rousseau (1795)

Every nation gets the government it deserves.

A woman can only be superior as a woman; as soon as she wants to emulate man, she is nothing but an ape.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Joseph de Maistre (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.