these quotes might be over 200 years old, they bear as much relevance today as they did when they were first coined.

A superb read for dipping in and out of. Born in Geneva, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) was a spearhead in the European Enlightenment movement. Montesquieu (1689 – 1755) was a Frenchman, whose writing had a huge influence on political systems. Also born in France, Denis Diderot (1713 – 1784) was a writer and central figure in the Age of Enlightenment. Scottish economist, Adam Smith (1723 – 1790) wrote treatises on morality and economics. German physicist, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799) satirised superstition and wrote extensively about natural phenomena. Pierre Beaumarchais (1732 – 1799) was a French playwright, spy, diplomat, and watchmaker.