as much resonance today as they did when they were first coined.

Superb for dipping in and out of, there are more than a few thoughts in this book worth memorising, and even more that are sure to inspire. Montesquieu (1689 – 1755) was born in Aquitaine, and his writing had a huge influence on political systems. Voltaire (1694 – 1778), a Parisian, was one of the founders of the French Enlightenment movement. Born in Langres, Denis Diderot (1713 – 1784) was a writer and another important figure in the Age of Enlightenment. Gaston Bachelard (1884 – 1962) was born in Bar-sur-Aube and went on to become an important scientific philosopher. Born in Geneva, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) was a spearhead in the European Enlightenment movement. Blaise Pascal (1623 – 1662) was born in Clermont-Ferrand and is best remembered as a fideistic philosopher.