How could a state be governed, or protected in its foreign relations if every individual remained free to obey or not to obey the law according to his private opinion.

A democracy is no more than an aristocracy of orators. The people are so readily moved by demagogues that control must be exercised by the government over speech and press.

The condition of man... is a condition of war of everyone against everyone.

Government is necessary, not because man is naturally bad... but because man is by nature more individualistic than social.

Hell is truth seen too late.

Humans are driven by a perpetual and restless desire of power.

The right of nature... is the liberty each man hath to use his own power, as he will himself, for the preservation of his own nature; that is to say, of his own life.

Life in the state of nature is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.

It is not wisdom but Authority that makes a law

Curiosity is the lust of the mind.

The original of all great and lasting societies consisted not in the mutual good will men had toward each other, but in the mutual fear they had of each other.

To be free is to have Faith.

Mr Lysander Rief looks like someone who is far more at ease occupying the cold security of the dark

I don't know my future. I don't know about tomorrow. I can just control for today or present, right now. I don't want to think about future too much, because present is most important for me.

I think I'm finally growing up - and about time.

More or less Europe - that's the wrong alternative! What we need is less centralism.

I don't want anyone to expect anything from any of my films, I just want them to see it and then tell me what they think.

The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience.

It's as if you were interested in fashion and your neighbor when you were growing up happened to be Giorgio Armani.

Discoveries made during the last hundred years have shown that liberalism is the best system to improve a country's well being.

Today's patience can transform yesterday's discouragements into tomorrow's discoveries. Today's purposes can turn yesterday's defeats into tomorrow's determination.