Thinkers of the Enlightenment

"To become truly great, one has to stand with the people, not in front of them.

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

"… and which is worst of all, continual fear, and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short"

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

"The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions…"

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

“Every man having been born free and master of himself, no one else may under any pretext whatever subject him without his consent. To assert that the son of a slave is born a slave is to assert that he is not born a man.”

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

“I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

Believed that the separation of church and state was necessary in order to have the freedom of speech.

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

Believed that people were naturally kind and wanted to work together.

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

Believed that people born with the God-given rights of life, liberty, and property.

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

Argued that government exists because of an agreement made between the people and their ruler (the social contract).

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu

Argued that people willingly gave up some of their power and rights in return for protection.

• Locke

• Hobbes

• Voltaire

• Rousseau

• Montesquieu