Home / Authors / Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton Quotes

Founding Father of the United States

Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father of the United States, born on January 11, 1757, and died on July 12, 1804. He played a crucial role in the American Revolutionary War and was instrumental in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton promoted fiscal stability and economic growth, establishing the First Bank of the United States and proposing solutions for federal debt. His ideas and policies had a profound impact on the early political and economic development of the United States.

Filter quotes by topic

All Government Men People States Constitution Liberty Human Nature Ifs May Law Humans Interest Nations Ought Principles Rights Authority Federalist Papers Political Would Be

Famous Alexander Hamilton Quotes

“Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.”

Men May Has Beens Political Planning Preparation Agency Dislike Urban Planning

Book:The Federalist on the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist on the New Constitution

“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.”

Ifs Political Politics Blessing Economics Debt Conceit Conceited Federalist National Debt Debt By Founding Fathers

Author:Alexander Hamilton

“[In the event of war, Americans would] resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe they, at length, become willing to run the risk of being less free.”

War Running Political Rights Risk Security Events Willing Safe Institutions Tendencies Length Resorts Repose Political Rights Security And Liberty

Book:The Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States: The Principles of the American Government

Source: The Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States: The Principles of the American Government

“Nothing could be more ill-judged than that intolerant spirit which has, at all times, characterized political parties.”

Political Spirit Party Ill All Time Judged Political Parties

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“It has been frequently remarked, that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country to decide, by their conduct and example, the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not, of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend, for their political constitutions, on accident and force.”

Source: The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Comprising His Most Important Official Reports: An Improved Edition of the Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in 1788; and Pacificus, on the Proclamation of Neutrality, Written in 1793 ...

“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.”

Source: The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

“A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired.”

Men Political Politics Natural Human Nature Abuse Tyranny Abuse Of Power Fondness

Book:The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Miscellanies, 1774-1789: A full vindication; The farmer refuted; Quebec bill; Resolutions in Congress; Letters from Phocion; New-York Legislature, etc

Source: The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Miscellanies, 1774-1789: A full vindication; The farmer refuted; Quebec bill; Resolutions in Congress; Letters from Phocion; New-York Legislature, etc

“To model our political system upon speculations of lasting tranquility, is to calculate on the weaker springs of the human character.”

Humans Character Political Politics Human Nature Models Spring Lasting Tranquility Speculation Political Systems Founding Fathers Gun

Author:Alexander Hamilton

“A LAW, by the very meaning of the term, includes supremacy. It is a rule which those to whom it is prescribed are bound to observe. This results from every political association.”

Law Political Term Results Human Nature Bounds Association Supremacy Very Mean

Book:The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

Source: The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

“[T]he present Constitution is the standard to which we are to cling. Under its banners, bona fide must we combat our political foes - rejecting all changes but through the channel itself provides for amendments.”

Political Standards Constitution Combat Amendments Foe Banner Rejecting

Author:Alexander Hamilton

“The State governments possess inherent advantages, which will ever give them an influence and ascendancy over the National Government, and will for ever preclude the possibility of federal encroachments. That their liberties, indeed, can be subverted by the federal head, is repugnant to every rule of political calculation.”

Giving States Government Political Liberty Influence Possibility Politician Advantage Inherent Calculations State Government Encroachment Founding Fathers Democracy Local Government Federalism States Rights Ascendancy

Book:The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Miscellanies, 1774-1789: A full vindication; The farmer refuted; Quebec bill; Resolutions in Congress; Letters from Phocion; New-York Legislature, etc

Source: The Works of Alexander Hamilton: Miscellanies, 1774-1789: A full vindication; The farmer refuted; Quebec bill; Resolutions in Congress; Letters from Phocion; New-York Legislature, etc

“The Convention probably foresaw what it has been a principal aim of these papers to inculcate that the danger which most threatens our political welfare is, that the state governments will finally sap the foundations of the Union.”

Has Beens States Government Political Danger Paper Aim Foundation Unions Welfare Conventions Principal Papers State Government Sap Federalism

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“The prosperity of commerce is now perceived and acknowledged by all enlightened statesmen to be the most useful as well as the most productive source of national wealth, and has accordingly become a primary object of their political cares.”

Wells Care Political Wealth Objects Source Prosperity Primaries Productive Enlightened Commerce Statesmen

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution

“Is it not time to awake from the deceitful dream of a golden age, and to adopt as a practical maxim for the direction of our political conduct, that we, as well as the other inhabitants of the globe, are yet remote from the happy empire of perfect wisdom and perfect virtue?”

Wells Dream Age Political Perfect Virtue Practicals Golden Awake Empires Globes Maxims Golden Age Deceitful

Book:The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

Source: The Essential Federalist: A New Reading of the Federalist Papers

“Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants.”

People Men Political Politics Numbers Liberty Careers Court Tyranny Republic Tyrants Federalist Federalist Papers

Book:The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

“There is no part of the administration of government that requires extensive information and a thorough knowledge of the principles of political economy, so much as the business of taxation. The man who understands those principles best will be least likely to resort to oppressive expedients, or sacrifice any particular class of citizens to the procurement of revenue. It might be demonstrated that the most productive system of finance will always be the least burdensome.”

Source: The Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States: The Principles of the American Government

“The increasing remoteness of consanguinity is everyday diminishing the force of the family compact between France and Spain. And politicians have ever with great reason considered the ties of blood as feeble and precarious links of political connection.”

Reason Political Force Blood Politician Connections Everyday France Ties Links Spain Precarious Compact National Defense Remoteness

Book:The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

“The honor of a nation is its life. Deliberately to abandon it is to commit an act of political suicide.”

Political Nations Policy Honor Suicide Commit Abandon Foreign Policy

Book:Political essays [etc., 1792-1804] Contents. Index

Source: Political essays [etc., 1792-1804] Contents. Index

“The principal purposes to be answered by union are these the common defense of the members; the preservation of the public peace as well against internal convulsions as external attacks; the regulation of commerce with other nations and between the States; the superintendence of our intercourse, political and commercial, with foreign countries.”

Source: The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution

“Whoever attentively considers the different departments of power must perceive, that, in a government in which they are separated from each other, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them.”

Different Government Political Rights Dangerous Capacity Function Constitution Perceive Department Annoying Judiciary Political Rights

Book:The Federalist on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788, with an Appendix Containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793

Source: The Federalist on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788, with an Appendix Containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793

“If there are such things as political axioms, the propriety of the judicial power of a government being co-extensive with its legislative, may be ranked among the number.”

Ifs May Government Political Numbers Judicial Axioms Judiciary Propriety Judicial Power

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in 1788

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in 1788

“The idea of governing at all times by the simple force of law (which we have been told is the only admissible principle of republican government) has no place but in the reveries of those political doctors whose sagacity disdains the admonitions of experimental instruction.”