Frederick II ("the Great"), "Forms of Government and the Duties of Rulers" (1777)

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To prevent the corruption of the national character the sovereign must distinguish only men of true merit and treat with contempt men of wealth without virtue.

[ . . . ]



Source of English translation: J. Ellis Barker, Ed. The foundations of Germany: A documentary account revealing the causes of her strength, wealth, and efficiency. London: John Murray, 1918, pp. 21-42.

Source of original French text: Œuvres de Frédéroc le Grand. Edited by Johann David Erdmann Preuß. Volume 8. Berlin, 1848, pp. 198-201, 208-210.