“We ought to be very cautious in the prosecution of magic and heresy. The attempt to put down these two crimes may be extremely perilous to liberty, and may be the origin of a number of petty acts of tyranny if the legislator be not on his guard; for as such an accusation does not bear directly on the overt acts of a citizen, but refers to the idea we entertain of his character.” IfsMayDoeTwoIdeasCharacterLawReligionIndividualJusticeNumbersLibertyMagicCrimeBearsOughtCitizensConscienceTyrannyPersecutionPettyCautiousHeresyLegislatorsAccusationIndividual RightsProsecution Author:Baron de Montesquieu
“When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not fall in meekly behind them. We who protest...are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress.” FeelsFirstsMayFallSpeakForceSocialChallengesBehindsRolesMovementCitizensPoliticianForgottenCongressCompromiseProtestLegislatorsSocial Movements Author:Howard Zinn
“The same things are best both for individuals and for states, and these are the things which the legislator ought to implant in the minds of his citizens.” MindStatesIndividualEducationOughtCitizensLegislatorsImplants Book:The Essential Aristotle Source: The Essential Aristotle
“Some things the legislator must find ready to his hand in a state, others he must provide. And therefore we can only say: May our state be constituted in such a manner as to be blessed with the goods of which fortune disposes (for we acknowledge her power): whereas virtue and goodness in the state are not a matter of chance but the result of knowledge and purpose. A city can be virtuous only when the citizens who have a share in the government are virtuous, and in our state all the citizens share in the government.” MayMatterStatesHandsGovernmentPurposeChanceResultsCitiesVirtueShareReadyCitizensGoodnessBlessedFortuneAcknowledgeGoodsVirtuousLegislatorsBeing Blessed Book:Delphi Complete Works of Aristotle (Illustrated) Source: Delphi Complete Works of Aristotle (Illustrated)
“The government of freemen is nobler and implies more virtue than despotic government. Neither is a city to be deemed happy or a legislator to be praised because he trains his citizens to conquer and obtain dominion over their neighbors, for there is great evil in this.” GovernmentEvilCitiesVirtueCitizensTrainNeighborConquerDominionLegislatorsFreeman Book:The Essential Aristotle Source: The Essential Aristotle
“One legislator accused me of having a 19th century attitude on law and order. That is a totally false charge. I have an 18th century attitude. That is when the Founding Fathers made it clear that the safety of law abiding citizens should be one of government's primary concerns.” ShouldMadeWarGovernmentLawOrderFatherAttitudeClearCenturyCitizensConcernSafetyMade ItPrimariesFoundingAccusedAbiding19th CenturyLegislatorsLaw And Order18th CenturyLaw Abiding Citizen Author:Jeffrey Gitomer
“People that had the guts to put their loyalty to the Constitution ahead of their loyalty to their political party were citizen legislators.” PeoplePoliticalPoliticsTermPartyCitizensConstitutionLoyaltyGutsPolitical PartiesLegislatorsTerm Limits Author:Tom Coburn
“Supreme Court nominees should know that this exercise of judicial restraint is the key ingredient of being good judge, as the Constitution constrains judges every bit as much as it constrains we legislators, executives and citizens in their actions.” KnowsShouldActionBitsJudgingKeysCitizensExerciseConstitutionCourtBe GoodSupremeExecutivesIngredientsRestraintSupreme CourtJudicialLegislatorsConstrainGood Judges Author:Chuck Grassley