"Thus the tension between philosophy and politics ... lies at the root of Rousseau's thought." (Introduction, 25)

"Common readers, pardon my paradoxes: they must be made when one thinks seriously; and, whatever you may say, I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices." (Introduction, 25)

"Lest we be 'common readers' who, in Rousseau's terms, 'ought to learn to read,' we must study his thoughts carefully and resist the temptation to accuse him of simple inconsistency. Without such effort, the failure to understand his philosophy will be our fault, not Rousseau's." (Introduction, 26)

"The question before me is: 'Whether the Restoration of the arts and sciences has had the effect of purifying or corrupting morals.'" (Chapter 1, A Discourse on the Moral Effects of the Arts and Sciences, Part I, 34)

"It is thus the dissolution of morals, the necessary consequence of luxury, brings with it in its...