Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755)

Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, intellectual, historian, and political philosopher.

Quotes

In the state of nature, indeed, all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the laws.

Justice
Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.

Happiness
An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations.

Writing
The love of democracy is that of equality.

Equality
In the state of nature...all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law.

Equality, Laws