The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said, "This is mine," and found… — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The first man who, having fenced in a piece of land, said, "This is mine," and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society.

In the original French

Le primier qui ayant enclos un terrain, s'avisa de dire "ceci est a moi," et trouva des gens asses simples pour le croire, fu le vrai fondateau de la societe civile.

Discourse on Inequality · 1755
★ 6.1
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Current citation
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, translated by Donald A. Cress. Hackett, 1992, pt. 2.
Original citation
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Discours sur l'origine et les fondemonts de l'inegalite parmi les hommes [Discourse on the Origin and Basis of Inequality Among Men]. Amsterdam: Marc-Michel Rey, 1755, pt. 2.