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Quotation from Discourse on the Origin of Inequality by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“The first man, who, after enclosing a piece of ground, took it into his head to say, "This is mine," and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society.”
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Second Part, opening, trans. Anonymous (Harvard Classics, 1910)
The opening sentence of the Second Part, followed by Rousseau's lament for the crimes and wars that property would bring.
Citation: "The first man, who, after enclosing a piece of ground, took it into his head to say, "This is mine," and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society." — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, Second Part, opening, trans. Anonymous (Harvard Classics, 1910). (id rousseau-discourse-on-inequality-q5)
Portrait: Portrait of Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Public domain.
