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During the last three centuries, there has been, by virtue of the Inquisition, a greater enjoyment of peace, and happiness, in Spain, than in the other nations of Europe.

— Joseph de Maistre Letters on the Spanish Inquisition (1822)

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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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The Puritan hated bear-baiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators.

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The key to self-generated happiness (the only reliable kind) is the refusal to take oneself too seriously.

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It is the law of life that if you are kind to someone you feel happy. If you are cruel you are unhappy. And if you hurt someone, you will be hurt back.

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Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased — thus do we refute entropy.

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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.