Men are all equal in a republican government, and they are equal in a despotic government: in the first, because they are everything, in the second, because they are nothing.

[Les hommes sont tous égaux dans le gouvernement républicain; ils sont égaux dans le gouvernement despotique: dans le premier, c’est parce qu’ils sont tout; dans le second, c’est parce qu’ils ne sont rien.]

Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French political philosopher

Spirit of Laws [The Spirit of the Laws; De l’esprit des lois], Book 6, ch. 2 (6.2) (1748) [tr. Stewart (2018)]
    (Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

In republican governments men are all equal; equal they are also in despotic governments: in the former because they are everything, in the latter because they are nothing.
[tr. Nugent (1750)]

Men are all equal in republican government; they are equal in despotic government; in the former, it is because they are everything; in the latter, it is because they are nothing.
[tr. Cohler/Miller/Stone (1989)]