1001Philosophers

Montesquieu Quotes on Justice

Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, was a French philosopher and one of the architects of Enlightenment political thought. This page collects quotes attributed to Montesquieu on the topic of justice, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Montesquieu:

    “Liberty is the right to do what the laws permit.”

  • Attributed to Montesquieu:

    “Useless laws weaken the necessary laws.”

  • Attributed to Montesquieu:

    “There is no nation so powerful as the one that obeys its laws.”

  • Attributed to Montesquieu:

    “Mankind has been corrupted, and an admirable lesson is given by the law that obliges the rulers themselves to obey it.”