Hugo Grotius Quotes
Hugo Grotius was a Dutch jurist and philosopher who is widely regarded as the founder of modern international law. Against the religious and dynastic justifications for war that dominated his age, he argued for a body of natural law binding on sovereigns and grounded in human reason and sociability. The quotes below are attributed to Hugo Grotius, organized by topic.
Hugo Grotius on Freedom
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Attributed to Hugo Grotius:
“The sea is common to all men and cannot be the property of any one nation.”
Hugo Grotius on Justice
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Attributed to Hugo Grotius:
“Where the rights of war are unsettled, those of peace will be unstable.”
Hugo Grotius on Nature
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Attributed to Hugo Grotius:
“Even the will of an omnipotent being cannot change or abrogate the law of nature.”
Hugo Grotius on Politics
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Attributed to Hugo Grotius:
“A man cannot govern a nation if he cannot govern a city; he cannot govern a city if he cannot govern a family; he cannot govern a family unless he can govern himself; and he cannot govern himself unless his passions are subject to reason.”
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Attributed to Hugo Grotius:
“The state is a perfect body of free men, united for the enjoyment of right and the common interest.”