Government Quotes

"The government will neither believe itself to possess the power, nor permit it to be usurped by others" "The safety and happiness of society are the objects at which all political institutions aim" "War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to sustain its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits. " "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. " "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once" "A pure democracy is a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person" "The interests of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place" "The legitimate meaning of the Constitution is not to be found in metaphysical subtleties" "In a republic this rule ought to be observed, that the majority should not have the predominant power." "If there is no justice for the people let there be no peace for the government" "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." "The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." "Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike." "Protection against the tyranny of the magistrate is not enough" "A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar" "Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage" "Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under" "In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, intelligence is so highly honored that it is rewarded by exemption from the cares of office" "We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around" "I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting"