"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".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"Men rush to arms for slight causes, or no cause at all, and once taken up there is no longer any respect for law, divine or human."
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"A state is a perfect body of free men, united together to enjoy common rights and advantages."
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"By understanding many things, I have accomplished nothing".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"I saw in the whole Christian world a license of fighting at which even barbarous nations might blush. Wars were begun on trifling pretexts or none at all, and carried on without any reference of law, Divine or human".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"Liberty is the power that we have over ourselves".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"I have spent my life laboriously doing nothing".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)
"Ignorance of certain subjects is a great part of wisdom".
—Hugo Grotius (1583-1645)