Montesquieu

The power of the people is the power of God.

The most important thing in a state is to make good laws.

The spirit of the laws is the spirit of the people.

The laws are the eyes of the state.

The laws are the nerves of the state.

The laws are the soul of the state.

The laws are the voice of the people.

The laws are the reason of the state.

The laws are the wisdom of the state.

The laws are the conscience of the state.

If the triangles had a god, they would give him three sides.

The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.

Liberty is the right of doing whatever the laws permit.

When the legislative and executive powers are united in the same person, or in the same body of magistrates, there can be no liberty.

Constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go.

In republican governments, men are all equal; they have free access to all employments, according to their talents.

The political liberty of the subject is a tranquility of mind arising from the opinion each person has of his safety.

Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made.

In a democracy, the people ought to be the sovereign, and the laws should be made by them.

Virtue is the principle of democracy.