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The public is governed as it reasons; its own prerogative is foolish speech and that of its governors is foolish action.

— Nicolas Chamfort

Le public est gouverné comme il raisonne. Son droit est de dire des sottises, comme celui des ministres est d'en faire.

Original text (French)

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Notes from Wikiquote

Maximes et Pensées, #503

More quotes by Nicolas Chamfort

Anyone whose needs are small seems threatening to the rich, because he’s always ready to escape their control.

There are well-dressed foolish ideas just as there are well-dressed fools.

The Cynic's Breviary : Maxims and Anecdotes from Nicolas de Chamfort (1902)

There are more fools than wise men, and even in a wise man there is more folly than wisdom.

Your intelligence often bears the same relation to your heart as the library of a château does to its owner.

The only thing that stops God sending a second Flood is that the first one was useless.

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Attribution

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