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...when the laws have ceased to be executed, as this can only come from the corruption of the republic, the state is already lost.

Baron de Montesquieu

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Baron de Montesquieu
Corruption
Laws
Already
Law
State
Lost
Executed
States
Ceased
Come
Republic

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The public business must be carried on with a certain motion, neither too quick nor too slow.
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Man, as a physical being, is like other bodies governed by invariable laws.
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There are countries where a man is worth nothing there are others where he is worth less than nothing.
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Life was given to me as a favor, so I may abandon it when it is one no longer.
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When one wants to change manners and customs, one should not do so by changing the laws.
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Sometimes a man who deserves to be looked upon because he is a fool is despised only because he is a lawyer.
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As men are affected in all ages by the same passions, the occasions which bring about great changes are different, but the causes are always the same.
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Wonderful maxim: not to talk of things any more after they are done.
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To love to read is to exchange hours of ennui for hours of delight.
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There is still another inconvenieney in conquests made by democracies their government is ever odious to the conquered states. It is apparently monarchical, but in reality it is more oppressive than monarchy, as the experience of all ages and countries evinces.
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Solemnity is the shield of idiots
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Vanity and pride of nations vanity is as advantageous to a government as pride is dangerous.
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Men in excess of happiness or misery are equally inclined to severity. Witness conquerors and monks! It is mediocrity alone, and a mixture of prosperous and adverse fortune that inspire us with lenity and pity.
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When the body of the people is possessed of the supreme power, it is called a democracy.
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