Charles-Louis de Montesquieu. The Concept of Separation of Powers and the Spirit of the Law
The separation of powers, proposed by Montesquieu in his famous treatise The Spirit of the Laws, is considered one of the cornerstones of modern democracy. The essence of this theory lies in dividing state functions into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial — to prevent the concentration of power and protect citizens' freedoms.
When legislative and executive power is combined in one person or body, there is no freedom. Likewise, there is no freedom if the judicial power is not separated from the legislative and executive branches.
In a state where laws exist, freedom can only consist of doing what one ought to will and not being forced to do what one ought not to will.
It takes a lot of learning to know even a little.
The cruelest tyranny is the one that operates under the cover of legality and the flag of justice.
The principle of democracy disintegrates not only when the spirit of equality is lost but also when the spirit of equality is taken to extremes, and everyone wants to be equal to those they elected as their rulers.
An intelligent person is usually selective about their company; they choose few people for themselves; they are bored with the mass of people they consider bad company, and inevitably express their distaste in some way. This breeds many enemies. Confident that they can always be liked if they wish, they often neglect this ability. They tend to be critical because they see and feel more than others. They almost always squander their fortune because their mind suggests many different ways to do so. They fail in their endeavors because they dare much. Their vision, always looking far ahead, opens up ideas that are often too distant, and when they have a plan, they are less concerned with the inherent difficulties of the matter and more with the means they draw from their own resources. They neglect small details, upon which the success of most large ventures depends. In contrast, the mediocre person tries to make use of everything, knowing that they cannot afford to neglect anything.