Key figures in this period included Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. In fact, Rousseau is considered “one of the most influential thinkers during the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe,” according to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. He was a philosopher, writer and political theorist born in 1712 in Geneva, Switzerland, and he wrote many novels and treatises (written works that formally deal with a subject) that inspired French Revolution leaders and Romantic writers alike, per Britannica. Our quote of the day comes from one of his most famous treatises and focuses on the importance of kindness.
This is essentially what Rousseau was writing about in the passage where today’s quote comes from. He believed that placing burdens and too many responsibilities on kids took away from their youth. And above all, being kind was the most important “first duty” people had (as citizens of the world and as parents).
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This quote can be found in Rousseau’s Emile, or Education, his “classic work on the philosophy and practice of education,” according to the Online Library of Liberty. It was originally published in 1762. This quote appears in Book II of the treatise, which starts off with Rousseau writing about the second phase of life, which is infancy. He then goes into how children start to cry less as they learn to speak more, but there are still things that make them cry, of course.
Rousseau then writes our quote of the day. He follows it up with the sentiment that there is so much fun in childhood, something that adults remember fondly but can never return to. And because of this, fathers shouldn’t put more burdens on their kids because you never know how long each person has or what they will face throughout their lives.
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Deeper Meaning of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Quote—No Greater Wisdom Than Kindness
But on top of all that is our quote for the day, which is a statement he throws in there to remind parents how important kindness is. While generosity or compassion aren’t the main point of Book II (or even this section of the book), it’s all a part of his message to be nicer to children and let them lean into their childhood more.
He states that you should basically be considerate to all of humanity and that it’s the greatest wisdom out there.
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More Quotes from Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.”“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”“The thirst after happiness is never extinguished in the heart of man.”“Teach by doing whenever you can, and only fall back upon words when doing it is out of the question.”“It is as if my heart and my brain did not belong to the same person. Feelings come quicker than lightning and fill my soul, but they bring me no illumination; they burn me and dazzle me.”“Gratitude is indeed a duty which we are bound to pay, but which benefactors cannot exact.”Related: Quote of the Day: Novelist Flannery O’Connor on How Truth 'Does Not Change According to Our Ability to Stomach It Emotionally’
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