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I worship freedom; I abhor restraint, trouble, dependence. As long as the money in my purse lasts, it assures my independence; it relieves me of the trouble of finding expedients to replenish it, a necessity which has always inspired me with dread; but the fear of seeing it exhausted makes me hoard it carefully. The money which a man possesses is the instrument of freedom; that which we eagerly pursue is the instrument of slavery. Therefore I hold fast to that which I have, and desire nothing.

— Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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More quotes by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.

Virtue is a state of war, and to live in it means one always has some battle to wage against oneself.

Every blue-stocking will remain a spinster as long as there are sensible men on the earth.

Money is the source of all the false ideas of society.

A blue-stocking is the scourge of her husband, children, friends, servants, and every one.

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