| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
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| NUMBER: | 16660 |
| QUOTATION: | The arbitrary rule of a just and enlightened prince is always bad. His virtues are the most dangerous and the surest form of seduction: they lull a people imperceptibly into the habit of loving, respecting, and serving his successor, whoever that successor may be, no matter how wicked or stupid. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Denis Diderot (1713–1784), French philosopher. repr. In Selected Writings, ed. Lester G. Crocker (1966). Refutation of Helvétius (written 1773-76, published 1875). |
| BIOGRAPHY: | Columbia Encyclopedia. |
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| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
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