'No true Democracy has ever existed, nor ever will exist.'

In this selection from The Social Contract, Rousseau asserts that a state's only legitimate political authority comes from its people.

One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

Translated by: Quintin Hoare