Home / Authors / Wendell Phillips

Wendell Phillips

Wendell Phillips Quotes

Lawyer

Wendell Phillips was a distinguished American lawyer, abolitionist, and orator. Born on November 29, 1811, he was a leading figure in the abolitionist movement and a vocal opponent of slavery. Known for his eloquent speeches and advocacy for civil rights, Phillips passed away on February 2, 1884.

Filter quotes by topic

All Men Government World Ifs Liberty People Opinion Revolution Ideas Political Republic Today War Agitation Eternal Firsts Form Giving Humans Knows

Famous Wendell Phillips Quotes

“A large body of people, sufficient to make a nation, have come to the conclusion that they will have a government of a certain form. Who denies them the right? Standing with the principles of '76 behind us, who can deny them the right? ... I maintain on the principles of '76 that Abraham Lincoln has no right to a soldier in Fort Sumter. ... You can never make such a war popular. ... The North never will endorse such a war.”

People War Body Government Form Certain Nations Behinds Principles Standing Independence Soldier Deny Conclusion Sufficient Republic Sovereignty Abraham Forts

Author:Wendell Phillips

“Every government is always growing corrupt.”

Government Growing

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“No class is safe unless government is so arranged that each class has in its hands the means of protecting itself. That is the idea of republics.”

Mean Ideas Hands Government Class Safe Republic

Author:Wendell Phillips

“Government began in tyranny and force, began in the feudalism of the soldier and bigotry of the priest; and the ideas of justice and humanity have been fighting their way, like a thunderstorm, against the organized selfishness of human nature.”

Way Humans Has Beens Ideas Government Humanity Fighting Force Justice Human Nature Soldier Tyranny Selfishness Organized Priests Bigotry Thunderstorm Feudalism

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“Government is only a necessary evil, like other go-carts and crutches. Our need of it shows exactly how far we are still children. All governing overmuch kills the self-help and energy of the governed.”

Needs Children Stills Self Helping Shows Government Evil Energy Self Help Governing Carts Crutches Necessary Evil

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“Society,--the only field where the sexes have ever met on terms of equality, the arena where character is formed and studied, the cradle and the realm of public opinion, the crucible of ideas, the world's university, at once a school and a theater, the spur and the crown of ambition, the tribunal which unmasks pretension and stamps real merit, the power that gives government leave to be, and outruns the lazy Church in fixing the moral sense of the eye.”

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and corrupt the people.”

People Firsts Government Disease Debt Republic Tyrants Corrupt Government Owing A Debt Government Debt

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“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.”

Men Government Law Planets Congress Aggravation Gravitation Fidgeting

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“Today it is not big business that we have to fear. It is big government.”

Bigs Government Today Big Business Big Government

Author:Wendell Phillips

“Governments exist to protect the rights of minorities. The loved and the rich need no protection: they have many friends and few enemies.”

Needs Government Political Enemy Rich Rights Protect Protection Civil Rights Minorities Many Friends Minority Government

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“Government arrogates to itself that it alone forms men. Everybody knows that government never began anything. It is the whole world that thinks and governs.”

Thinking Knows Men World Whole Government Form Whole World

Book:Wendell Phillips on Civil Rights and Freedom

Source: Wendell Phillips on Civil Rights and Freedom

“Write on my gravestone: 'Infidel, Traitor.', infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people.”

People Writing Government Church Compromise Infidelity Traitor Treason Infidel Gravestone

Author:Wendell Phillips

“We live under a government of men and morning newspapers.”

Men Government Morning Newspapers

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters