Baruch Spinoza

Men believe themselves to be free, simply because they are conscious of their actions, and unconscious of the causes whereby those actions are determined.

The greatest good is the knowledge of the union which the mind has with the whole nature.

I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand.

I would warn you that I do not attribute to nature either beauty or deformity, order or confusion. Only in relation to our imagination can things be called beautiful or ugly, well-ordered or confused.

Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.