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Honor sets all the parts of the body politic in motion, and by its very action connects them; thus each individual advances the public good, while he only thinks of promoting his own interest.

— Montesquieu De l'Esprit des Lois (1748)

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More quotes by Montesquieu

People here argue about religion interminably, but it appears that they are competing at the same time to see who can be the least devout.

Lettres Persanes (1721)

Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.

The Spirit of the Laws (1748)

One must give one power a ballast, so to speak, to put it in a position to resist another.

The Spirit of the Laws (1748)

Constant experience shows us that every man who has power is inclined to abuse it; he goes until he finds limits.

Society is the union of men and not the men themselves.

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Attribution

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