This quote distinguishes between inner moral guidance and physical desires. Conscience, according to Rousseau, is a deeper, spiritual guide for what is right, while passions are simply bodily urges and immediate feelings.
Quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau: “Conscience is the voice of the soul; the passions are the voice of the body.”
Conscience is the voice of the soul; the passions are the voice of the body.
Insight
Historical Context
In *Emile, or On Education*, Rousseau explores the development of human nature and morality. He articulates a dualism where an innate moral sense (conscience) offers true guidance, contrasted with the fleeting desires of the body (passions).
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Genevan philosopher and writer whose ideas about natural freedom, the social contract, and education profoundly influenced the French Revolution and modern political thought. His 1762 work The Social Contract opened with this line and transformed European political philosophy.
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