I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but people. And if we think them not enlightened enough, the remedy is not to take the power from them, but to inform them by education
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to us the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience and of the press, it will be worth defending.
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American Head of State
Of all the inventions that have helped to unify China perhaps the airplane is the most outstanding. Its ability to annihilate distance has been in direct proportion to its achievements in assisting to annihilate suspicion and misunderstanding among provincial officials far removed from one another or from the officials at the seat of government.
—Soong Mei-ling (1898–2003) First Lady of the Republic of China
A government, for protecting business only, is but a carcass, and soon falls by its own corruption and decay.
—Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) American Teacher, Writer, Philosopher
A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.
—Barry Goldwater (1909–98) American Elected Representative, Businessperson, Politician
I resent at any time or any place the attitude that the safety of this country depends on any man holding his job. No man has achieved that strength, and this country has not deteriorated to that weakness.
—Owen D. Young (1874–1962) American Businessperson, Lawyer, Diplomat
The fact that political ideologies are tangible realities is not a proof of their vitally necessary character. The bubonic plague was an extraordinarily powerful social reality, but no one would have regarded it as vitally necessary.
—Wilhelm Reich (1897–1957) Austrian Psychoanalyst
All government is a trust. Every branch of government is a trust, and immemorially acknowledged to be so.
—Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) British Philosopher, Economist
To hear some men talk of the government, you would suppose that Congress was the law of gravitation, and kept the planets in their places.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced.
—Frank Zappa (1940–93) American Rock Guitarist, Singer, Composer
In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?
—Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Roman-African Christian Philosopher
A little government involvement is just as dangerous as a lot -because the first leads inevitably to the second.
—Harry Browne (1933–2006) American Politician, Investor, Writer
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Here is my first principle of foreign policy: good government at home
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote.
—George Jean Nathan (1882–1958) American Drama Critic, Editor
The proper function of a government is to make it easy for the people to do good and difficult for them to do evil.
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
None of us here in Washington knows all or even half of the answers If you love your country, don’t depend on handouts from Washington for your information. If you cherish your freedom, don’t leave it all up to big government.
—Barry Goldwater (1909–98) American Elected Representative, Businessperson, Politician
It is the duty of government to make it difficult for people to do wrong, easy to do right.
—William Ewart Gladstone (1809–98) English Liberal Statesman, Prime Minister
The social order destroyed by a revolution is almost always better than that which immediately preceded it, and experience shows that the most dangerous moment for a bad government is generally that in which it sets about reform.
—Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–59) French Historian, Political Scientist
In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them. And if they do not have a real enemy, they will invent one in order to mobilize us.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (b.1926) Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader, Teacher, Author, Peace Activist
The government is best which makes itself unnecessary.
—Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835) German Philosopher, Linguist, Statesman
Good government is the outcome of private virtue.
—John Jay Chapman (1862–1933) American Biographer, Poet, Essayist, Writer
The government is good at one thing…it knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say ‘see if it weren’t for the government you wouldn’t be able to walk.’
—Harry Browne (1933–2006) American Politician, Investor, Writer
One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation
—Thomas Reid (1710–96) Scottish Philosopher, Clergyman
Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
A survey says that American workers work the first three hours every day just to pay their taxes. So that’s why we can’t get anything done in the morning: We’re government workers.
—Jay Leno (b.1950) American Comedian, TV Personality
You, too, can determine what you want. You can decide on your major objectives, targets, aims and destination.
—W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American Self-help Guru, Entrepreneur
If pigs could vote, the man with the slop bucket would be elected swineherd every time, no matter how much slaughtering he did on the side.
—Orson Scott Card (b.1951) American Author, Critic, Political Activist
A government must not waiver once it has chosen it’s course. It must not look to the left or right but go forward.
—Otto von Bismarck (1815–98) German Chancellor, Prime Minister
The ultimate aim of government is not to rule, or restrain, by fear, nor to exact obedience, but contrariwise, to free every man from fear, that he may live in all possible security; in other words, to strengthen his natural right to exist and work without injury to himself or others.
No, the object of government is not to change men from rational beings into beasts or puppets, but to enable them to develop their minds and bodies in security, and to employ their reason unshackled; neither showing hatred, anger, or deceit, nor watched with the eyes of jealousy and injustice. In fact, the true aim of government is liberty.
—Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) Dutch Philosopher, Theologian
The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return.
—Gore Vidal (1925–48) American Novelist, Essayist, Journalist, Playwright
I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
—Will Rogers (1879–1935) American Actor, Rancher, Humorist
How can one conceive of a one-party system in a country that has over two hundred varieties of cheese?
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
A sense of this necessity, and a submission to it, is to me a new and consolatory proof that wherever the people are well informed they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Our major obligation is not to mistake slogans for solutions.
—Edward R. Murrow (1908–65) American Journalist, Radio Personality
Some people say that Libertarians want anarchy. But anarchy is what we have now. Our cities aren’t safe, our schools are centers of violence, the politicians have turned the rule of law into a chaotic web of millions of regulations and mandates. Libertarians want to restore order by removing, wherever possible, the destabilizing influence of government.
—Harry Browne (1933–2006) American Politician, Investor, Writer
No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the natural rights of another; and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
Government is itself an art, one of the subtlest of the arts. It is neither business, nor technology, nor applied science. It is the art of making men live together in peace and with reasonable happiness.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Every form of government tends to perish by excess of its basic principles.
—Will Durant (1885–1981) American Historian, Philosopher, Memoirist, Socialist
The culminating point of administration is to know well how much power, great or small, we ought to use in all circumstances.
—Montesquieu (1689–1755) French Political Philosopher, Jurist
It is not the function of the State to make men happy. They must make themselves happy in their own way, and at their own risk. The functions of the State lie entirely in the conditions or chances under which the pursuit of happiness is carried on.
—William Graham Sumner (1840–1910) American Polymath, Academic, Historian, Sociologist, Anthropologist
No government is safe unless fortified by goodwill.
—Cornelius Nepos (c.99–c.24 BCE) Roman Historian
The monarchy is a labor intensive industry.
—Harold Wilson British Political Leader
Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them being made.
—Otto von Bismarck (1815–98) German Chancellor, Prime Minister
We are the men of intrinsic value, who can strike our fortunes out of ourselves, whose worth is independent of accidents in life, or revolutions in government: we have heads to get money, and hearts to spend it.
—George Farquhar (1677–1707) Irish Dramatist
The state is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.
—Frederic Bastiat (1801–50) French Political Economist
Democracy is a constant tension between truth and half-truth and, in the arsenal of truth, there is no greater weapon than fact
—Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–73) American Head of State, Political leader
There is one safeguard, which is an advantage and security for all, but especially to democracies against despots. What is it? Distrust.
—Demosthenes (384–322 BCE) Greek Statesman, Orator
Public instruction should be the first object of government.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
The biggest lesson I learned from Vietnam is not to trust our own government statements. I had no idea until then that you could not rely on them.
—J. William Fulbright (1905–95) American Political leader, Politician
Government cannot make man richer, but it can make him poorer.
—Ludwig von Mises (1881–1973) Austrian Economist, Philosopher, Author
Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.
—George S. Patton (1885–1945) American Military Leader
The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem.
—Milton Friedman (1912–2006) American Economist
The Second Amendment reveals a profound principle of American government – the principle of civilian ascendency over the military.
—William O. Douglas (1898–1980) American Judge
I want to talk to these people because they stay in power and you change all the time.
—Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971) Russian Head of State, Political leader
Governing today means giving acceptable signs of credibility. It is like advertising and it is the same effect that is achieved — commitment to a scenario.
—Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) French Sociologist, Philosopher
Democracy is an abuse of statistics.
—Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) Argentine Writer, Essayist, Poet
We settle things by a majority vote, and the psychological effect of doing that is to create the impression that the majority is probably right. Of course, on any fine issue the majority is sure to be wrong. Think of taking a majority vote on the best music. Jazz would win over Chopin. Or on the best novel. Many cheap scribblers would win over Tolstoy. And any day a prizefight will get a bigger crowd, larger gate receipts and wider newspaper publicity than any new revelation of goodness, truth or beauty could hope to achieve in a century.
—Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) American Baptist Minister
There are very few so foolish that they had not rather govern themselves than be governed by others.
—Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English Political Philosopher
Governments are necessarily continuing concerns. They have to keep going in good times and in bad. They therefore need a wide margin of safety. If taxes and debt are made all the people can bear when times are good, there will be certain disaster when times are bad.
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) American Head of State, Lawyer
States are not made, nor patched; they grow: Grow slow through centuries of pain.
—John Masefield (1878–1967) English Poet, Novelist, Playwright
How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 different kinds of cheese?
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
Good things come to those who wait, but they are left-overs from those who hustle.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
—Edward R. Murrow (1908–65) American Journalist, Radio Personality
Those who already walk submissively will say there is no cause for alarm. But submissiveness is not our heritage. The First Amendment was designed to allow rebellion to remain as our heritage. The Constitution was designed to keep government off the backs of the people. The Bill of Rights was added to keep the precincts of belief and expression, of the press, of political and social activities free from surveillance. The Bill of Rights was designed to keep agents of government and official eavesdroppers away from assemblies of people. The aim was to allow men to be free and independent and to assert their rights against government.
—William O. Douglas (1898–1980) American Judge
As soon as government management begins it upsets the natural equilibrium of industrial relations, and each interference only requires further bureaucratic control until the end is the tyranny of the totalitarian state.
—Adam Smith (1723–90) Scottish Philosopher, Economist
Government is only a necessary evil, like other go-carts, and crutches. The need of it shows exactly how far we are still children. — All overmuch governing kills the self-help and energy of the governed.
—Wendell Phillips (1811–84) American Abolitionist, Lawyer, Orator
The ineffable joy of forgiving and being forgiven forms an ecstasy that might well arouse the envy of the gods.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations.
—Walter Bagehot (1826–77) English Economist, Journalist
Today, if you invent a better mousetrap, the government comes along with a better mouse.
—Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) American Head of State
True friends stab you in the front.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection, and, as Heaven does its rain, shower its favors alike on the high and on the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing.
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) American Head of State
In parliament he again pressed the necessity of reducing expenditure. Friends warned him that he was flogging a dead horse.
—John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838–1923) British Political Leader, Writer, Editor, Journalist
The republic, as I at least understand it, means association, of which liberty is only an element, a necessary antecedent. It means association, a new philosophy of life, a divine Ideal that shall move the world, the only means of regeneration vouchsafed to the human race.
—Giuseppe Mazzini (1805–72) Italian Patriot, Political Leader
To govern is always to choose among disadvantages.
—Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) French General, Statesman
If, in my retirement to the humble station of a private citizen, I am accompanied with the esteem and approbation of my fellow citizens, trophies obtained by the bloodstained steel, or the tattered flags of the tented field, will never be envied. The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government.
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President. Now I’m beginning to believe it.
—Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) American Civil Liberties Lawyer
A government is the most dangerous threat to man’s rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims.
—Ayn Rand (1905–82) Russian-born American Novelist, Philosopher, Playwright, Screenwriter
Our government sprang from and was made for the people—not the people for the government. To them it owes an allegiance; from them it must derive its courage, strength, and wisdom.
—Andrew Johnson (1808–75) Seventeenth U.S. President
The world is waiting … for new saints, ecstatic men and women who are so deeply rooted in the love of God that they are free to imagine a new international order.
—Henri Nouwen (1932–96) Dutch Catholic Theologian, Writer
It is astonishing with how little wisdom mankind can be governed, when that little wisdom is its own.
—William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English Anglican Clergyman, Priest, Mystic
In America every woman has her set of girl-friends; some are cousins, the rest are gained at school. These form a permanent committee who sit on each other’s affairs, who “come out” together, marry and divorce together, and who end as those groups of bustling, heartless well-informed club-women who govern society. Against them the Couple of Ehepaar is helpless and Man in their eyes but a biological interlude.
—Cyril Connolly (1903–74) British Literary Critic, Writer