Wherever there is a settled society, religion is necessary; the laws cover manifest crimes, and religion covers secret crimes.
We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.
Use force with children, and reason with men. Such is the natural order. The wise man does not need laws.[Employez la force avec les curante et la raison avec les hommes; tel est l’ordre naturel: le sage n’a pas besoin de lois.]
One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.
Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.
When law becomes despotic, morals are relaxed, and vice versa.
What is toleration? It is the appurtenance of humanity. We are all full of weakness and errors; let us mutually pardon each other our follies—it is the first law of nature.
We’ve got so many laws you can’t breathe without breaking something.
Those who are too lazy and comfortable to think for themselves and be their own judges obey the laws.
There are two kinds of laws, laws of nature and laws of right.
There are times when even the most potent governor must wink at transgression, in order to preserve the laws inviolate for the future.
The universal law of justice is: act externally in such a way that the free use of your will is compatible with the freedom of everyone according to a universal law.[Das allgemeine Rechtsgesetz: handle äußerlich so, daß der freie Gebrauch deiner Willkür mit der Freiheit von jedermann nach einem allgemeinen Gesetze zusammen bestehen könne.]
