"Open your eyes and you will see that [the French constitution] does not live. What an enormous machine! What a multiplicity of springs and clockwork! What a fracas of pieces clanging away! What an immense number of men employed to repair the damage! Everything tells us there is nothing natural in these movements, for the primary characteristic of the creations of nature is power accompanied by an economy of means. Everything being in its place, there are no jerks or bumps, friction is low, and there is no noise, only majestic silence. So it is that in the mechanism of nature, perfect balance, equilibrium, and exact symmetry of parts give even rapid movement the satisfying appearance of repose."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
pp. 56–57
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Considerations_on_France
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Considerations on France
Considerations on France (French: Considérations sur la France) is a 1796 political pamphlet by the Savoyard philosopher Joseph de Maistre concerning the dramatic events that took place in Europe at the time of the French Revolution. It exerted a powerful influence over the French opinion and was widely read all over Europe, contributing in laying the foundations for political conservatism. In terms of literary brilliance and political influence, the pamphlet is often compared to Reflections on
52 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Considerations on France →
Related Quotes
"Evil has nothing in common with life; it cannot create, since its power is purely negative. Evil is the schism of bei…"
"We are all attached to the throne of the Supreme Being by a supple chain that restrains us without enslaving us. Noth…"
"In divine works, everything, even obstacles, are means."
"Men do not lead the revolution; it is the Revolution that uses men. They are right when they say it goes all alone. T…"
"Every nation, like every individual, has received a mission that it must fulfil. France exercises over Europe a verit…"
"Too many French scholars were the principal authors of the Revolution, too many approved and gave their support so lo…"
"Our descendants, who will worry very little about our sufferings and will dance on our graves, will laugh at our pres…"
"If Providence erases, it is no doubt in order to write."
"Providence has given the French nation precisely two instruments, two arms, so to speak, with which it stirs up the w…"
"There is no chastisement that does not purify; there is no disorder that ETERNAL LOVE does not turn against the princ…"