Michel de Montaigne Quotes

When despotism has established itself for ages in a country, as in France, it is not in the person of the king only that it resides. It has the appearance of being so in show, and in nominal authority; but it is not so in practice and in fact. It has its standard everywhere. Every office and department has its despotism, founded upon custom and usage.

No one can go on being a rebel too long without becoming an autocrat.

Those who govern us know it well, for they would sooner deny us bread than dare alter the observance of tradition.

Those who fear men like laws.

The empire of custom is most mighty.

The command of custome is great.

Next to enjoying ourselves, the next greatest pleasure consists in preventing others from enjoying themselves, or, more generally, in the acquisition of power.

Conquerors never, never conquer a nation to bring freedom. They brought control.

Custom is our nature. What are our natural principles but principles of custom?

Authority poisons everybody who takes authority on himself.

Power is domination, control, and therefore a very selective form of truth which is a lie.

All men would be tyrants if they could.

The strength and power of despotism consists wholly in the fear of resistance.

My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things.

You carry forever the fingerprint that comes from being under someone's thumb.

Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts... perhaps the fear of a loss of power.

People demand freedom only when they have no power.

Fear is the foundation of most governments.

There is nothing more agreeable in life than to make peace with the Establishment - and nothing more corrupting.

And this is the Anarchistic definition of the State: the embodiment of the principle of invasion in an individual, or a band of individuals, assuming to act as representatives or masters of the entire people within a given area.

The need to exert power, when thwarted in the open fields of life, is the more likely to assert itself in trifles.

Power acquired by violence is only a usurpation, and lasts only as long as the force of him who commands prevails over that of those who obey.

He who surpasses or subdues mankind, must look down on the hate of those below.

The thing about Republicans is that they don't care so much about respect, but they love fear, at least in others.

Power is an instrument of fatal consequence. It is confined no more readily than quicksilver, and escapes good intentions as easily as air flows through mesh.