“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”
“I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man.”
“A well-adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous.”
“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.”
“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.”
“The first duty of society is justice.”
“Men give me credit for genius; but all the genius I have lies in this: when I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly.”
“Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.”
“Power over a man’s subsistence is power over his will.”
“A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.”
“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records.”
“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct.”
“A well-regulated militia must be confined to persons in actual service.”
“The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right.”
“The art of reading is to skip judiciously.”
“The judiciary is the safeguard of our liberty and property under the Constitution.”
“Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent.”
“In the general course of human nature, a power over a man’s subsistence amounts to a power over his will.”
“In politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword.”
“The honor of the soldier, though sometimes imaginary, has an irresistible influence on the human mind.”
“Energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government.”
“When avarice takes the lead in a state, it is commonly the forerunner of its fall.”
“I think the first duty of society is justice.”
“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.”
“Experience is the oracle of truth; and where its responses are unequivocal, they ought to be conclusive and sacred.”
“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed.”
“Caution and investigation are a necessary armor against error and imposition.”
“To avoid entangling alliances is one of the wisest maxims of our political system.”
“The principle of self-preservation acts in every human breast.”
“Money is, with propriety, considered as the vital principle of the body politic.”
“If it were to be asked, what is the most sacred duty and the greatest source of our security in a republic? The answer would be, an inviolable respect for the Constitution and laws.”
“Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society.”
“A powerful, victorious ally is yet another danger to liberty.”
“A strong body makes the mind strong.”
“Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires.”
“The passions of a revolution are apt to hurry even good men into excesses.”
“The inquiry constantly is what will please, not what will benefit the people.”
“Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic.”
“The fate of an empire in many respects depends on the power of that empire to sustain itself.”
“The justice of a nation must be our guiding light.”
“When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation.”
“Public opinion is the most powerful restraint upon misgovernment.”
“To all general purposes we have uniformly been one people.”
“It is not tyranny we desire; it’s a just, limited, federal government.”
“If circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude, that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people.”
“Every man ought to be supposed a knave.”
“The administration of government, in its largest sense, comprehends all the operations of the body politic.”
“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
“War, like most other things, is a science.”
“The best hope of a nation lies in its pursuit of truth.”
“A community’s honor is its best security.”
“One great error is that we suppose mankind more honest than they are.”
“A firm union will be of the utmost moment to the peace and liberty of the states.”
“Commerce with all nations, alliance with none, should be our motto.”
“The powers of government may be properly represented as falling into three great classes.”
“If it be true that simple and practical minds are most wise, the construction of a government must be complex.”
“If government should fall into the hands of a few, their interests will be likely to increase while that of the people will diminish.”
“Justice is the first virtue of social institutions.”
“It is of importance that the people should know whether those who govern can betray them with impunity.”
“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.”
“Our great error is that we suppose mankind more honest than they are.”
“The people are the best judges of their own rights and interests.”
“The health of a society lies in the strength of its laws.”
“The essence of liberty is the separation of powers.”
“The accumulation of all powers in the same hands may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
“No man’s liberty or property is secure while the legislature is in session.”
“The mass of men are neither good nor bad but wavering and undecided.”
“The love of fame is the ruling passion of the noblest minds.”
“To cherish peace and friendly intercourse with all nations, having correspondent dispositions, is our duty.”
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”