Meandering . . .

Today is the birthday of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (June 28, 1712 – July 2, 1778), philosopher, writer, and composer. His political ideas influenced the French Revolution, the development of socialist theory and modern political thought. Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought humans are naturally good, yet corrupted by their social environments and the choices they make in them.

"He who knows enough of things to value them at their true worth never says too much; for he can also judge of the attention bestowed on him and the interest aroused by what he says. People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little. It is plain that an ignorant person thinks everything he does know important, and he tells it to everybody. But a well-educated man is not so ready to display his learning; he would have too much to say, and he sees that there is much more to be said, so he holds his peace." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Those that are most slow in making a promise are the most faithful in the performance of it." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"You are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Nature never deceives us; it is always we who deceive ourselves." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"What good would it be to possess the whole universe if one were its only survivor?" - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Nothing is less in our power than the heart, and far from commanding we are forced to obey it." - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Rousseau image source (1)
Rousseau stamp image source (1)