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Constitution Quotes

“It is good to be back in the Peoples House. But this cannot be a real homecoming. Under the Constitution, I now belong to the executive branch. The Supreme Court has even ruled that I am the executive branchhead, heart, and hand.”

Heart Real Hands House Constitution Court Supreme Branches Executives Supreme Court Homecoming Executive Branch Hearts And Hands

Book:Gerald R. Ford: containing the public messages, speeches, and statements of the President

Source: Gerald R. Ford: containing the public messages, speeches, and statements of the President

“Had not a conviction of the danger to which an unlimited occupation of the executive chair would expose the republican Constitution of our Government, made it conscientiously a duty to retire when I did, the fear of becoming a dotard and of being insensible of it, would of itself have resisted all solicitations to remain.”

Made Government Danger Duty Becoming Republican Constitution Conviction Made It Chairs Executives Occupation Retiring Unlimited Insensible Solicitation

Book:The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private : published by the order of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from the original manuscripts, deposited in the Department of State

Source: The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private : published by the order of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from the original manuscripts, deposited in the Department of State

“The principles of a free constitution are irrecoverably lost, when the legislative power is nominated by the executive.”

Lost Principles Power Constitution Executives

Author:Edward Gibbon

“Practically all we know is that thousands of native Haitians have been killed by American Marines, and that many of our own gallant men have sacrificed their lives at the behest of an Executive department in order to establish laws drafted by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. ... I will not empower an Assistant Secretary of the Navy to draft a constitution for helpless neighbors in the West Indies and jam it down their throats at the point of bayonets borne by U.S. Marines.”

“The right response when, in the army, you are given an unlawful order, is to refuse that order. The right response of a chief executive in this state and in this nation, when faced with an order by a court that he conscientiously believes violates the constitution he is sworn to respect, is to refuse their order!”

Believe States Order Given Nations Constitution Army Court Response Refuse Chiefs Executives Unlawful Chief Executives

Author:Alan Keyes

“The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the emperors all the executive powers of government. During a happy period (A.D. 98-180) of more than fourscore years, the public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines.”

Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Edited and Abridged): Abridged Edition

“More fundamentally, however, the answer to petitioners' objection is that there can be no impairment of executive power, whether on the state or federal level, where actions pursuant to that power are impermissible under the Constitution. Where there is no power, there can be no impairment of power.”

States Action Answers Levels Constitution Executives Objections Executive Power

Author:William J. Brennan

“The first ten amendments were proposed and adopted largely because of fear that Government might unduly interfere with prized individual liberties. The people wanted and demanded a Bill of Rights written into their Constitution. The amendments embodying the Bill of Rights were intended to curb all branches of the Federal Government in the fields touched by the amendments-Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.”

“The dignity and stability of government in all its branches, the morals of the people, and every blessing of society depend so much upon an upright and skillful administration of justice, that the judicial power ought to be distinct from both the legislative and executive, and independent upon both, that so it may be a check upon both, as both should be checks upon that.”

“I am committed against every thing which in my judgment, may weaken, endanger, or destroy (the Constitution) ... and especially against all extension of Executive power; and I am committed against any attempt to rule the free people of this country by the power and the patronage of the Government itself.”

People May Country Government Judgment Constitution Committed Executives Extensions Patronage Executive Power

Book:The works

Source: The works

“The constitution has divided the powers of government into three branches, Legislative, Executive and Judiciary, lodging each with a distinct magistracy. The Legislative it has given completely to the Senate and House of Representatives. It has declared that the Executive powers shall be vested in the President, submitting special articles of it to a negative by the Senate, and it has vested the Judiciary power in the courts of justice, with certain exceptions also in favor of the Senate.”

Source: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence. Reports and opinions while secretary of state

“...compartmentalization of occupations and interests bring about a separation of that mode of activity commonly called 'practice' from insight; of imagination from executive 'doing.' Each of these activities is then assigned its own place in which it must abide. Those who write the anatomy of experience then suppose that these divisions inhere in the very constitution of human nature.”

Writing Humans Interest Imagination Practice Human Nature Activity Constitution Insight Separation Executives Division Occupation Anatomy

Author:John Dewey

“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.”

Knows Should Action Bits Judging Keys Citizens Exercise Constitution Court Be Good Supreme Executives Ingredients Restraint Supreme Court Judicial Legislators Constrain Good Judges

Author:Chuck Grassley

“There is one way, only one way to solve it, and that is through legislation. It cannot be through an unconstitutional executive order that violates the Constitution. That is, it doesn't matter here what you think about immigration: here you cannot violate the nation's Constitution, period.”

Thinking Way Matter Order Nations Periods Constitution Solve Immigration One Way Executives Legislation Unconstitutional Executive Orders

Author:Marco Rubio

“[I watch] all that stuff - Game of Thrones and all the other series. How about House of Cards? As for Boardwalk Empire - that's another period of government overreach, but at least they use the amendment process! In real life, the executive branch, by violating the Constitution, is using statutes in place of constitutional amendments to diminish our liberty.”

“I think [Donald Trump] does understand that. We talked a great deal about the separation on power and the constitution. And we`re very excited about what he`s doing because what he`s doing is pulling back what we see as unconstitutional executive actions from the past presidents.”

Thinking Doe Action Past President Deals Trump Constitution Excited Separation Executives Pulling Unconstitutional

Author:Paul Ryan

“The Massachusetts constitution was written much later than the other revolutionary state constitutions, and thus it avoids some of the earlier mistakes. The executive is stronger, with a limited veto; the senate is more formidable; and the judiciary is independent.”

States Mistake Written Constitution Stronger Independent Revolutionary Executives Senate Formidable Judiciary Massachusetts Veto

Author:Gordon S. Wood

“I think [John Adams's] influence on the federal Constitution was indirect. Many including James Madison mocked the first volume of Adams's Defence of the Constitutions of the United States in 1787. But his Massachusetts constitution was a model for those who thought about stable popular governments, with its separation of powers, its bicameral legislature, its independent judiciary, and its strong executive.”

“[ Massachusetts constitution] was [John Adams] attempt to justify that structure by the traditional notion of social estates - that the executive represented the monarchical estate, the senate the aristocratic estate, and the house of representatives the estate of the people.”

People House Social Constitution Structure Notion Traditional Justify Executives Senate Representatives Estates Massachusetts House Of Representatives Aristocratic

Author:Gordon S. Wood

“What Obama did wrong with executive power is he tried to change the law. He tried to ignore the law. And under the Constitution, Article I, all legislative authority is vested in Congress.”

Law Authority Constitution Congress Executives Articles Executive Power

Author:Ted Cruz

“Apparently a great many people have forgotten that the framers of our Constitution went to such great effort to create an independent judicial branch that would not be subject to retaliation by either the executive branch or the legislative branch because of some decision made by those judges.”

“It will be the duty of the Executive, with sufficient appropriations for the purpose, to prosecute unsparingly all who have been engaged in depriving citizens of the rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution.”

Has Beens Purpose Rights Duty Citizens Constitution Sufficient Engaged Executives Patriotic Appropriation Depriving

Author:Rutherford B. Hayes

“The constitution supposes, what the History of all Governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it.”

War Government Peace Constitution Branches Executives Anti War Antiwar Legislature Executive Branch

Book:James Madison's

Source: James Madison's

“As the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial departments of the United States are co-ordinate, and each equally bound to support the Constitution, it follows that each must in the exercise of its functions be guided by the text of the Constitution according to its own interpretation of it.”

States United United States Support Exercise Function Constitution Bounds Department Executives Interpretation Judicial

Book:1829-1836

Source: 1829-1836

“We established however some, although not all its [self-government] important principles . The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves, in all cases to which they think themselves competent, (as in electing their functionaries executive and legislative, and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all judiciary cases in which any fact is involved,) or they may act by representatives, freely and equally chosen; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed.”

Source: Jefferson: Political Writings

“If they are incorporated into the Constitution, independent tribunals of justice will consider themselves in a peculiar manner the guardians of those rights; they will be an impenetrable bulwark against every assumption of power in the legislative or executive; they will be naturally led to resist every encroachment upon rights expressly stipulated for in the Constitution by the declaration of rights.”

Ifs Justice Rights Constitution Independent Assumption Executives Peculiar Declaration Guardian Encroachment Tribunals

Book:Selected Writings of James Madison

Source: Selected Writings of James Madison

“What is to be the consequence, in case the Congress shall misconstrue this part [the necessary and proper clause] of the Constitution and exercise powers not warranted by its true meaning, I answer the same as if they should misconstrue or enlarge any other power vested in them . . . the success of the usurpation will depend on the executive and judiciary departments, which are to expound and give effect to the legislative acts; and in a last resort a remedy must be obtained from the people, who can by the elections of more faithful representatives, annul the acts of the usurpers.”

“The principle of the Constitution is that of a separation of legislative, Executive and Judiciary functions, except in cases specified. If this principle be not expressed in direct terms, it is clearly the spirit of the Constitution, and it ought to be so commented and acted on by every friend of free government.”

Ifs Government Spirit Term Principles Cases Ought Direct Function Constitution Separation Executives Judiciary Free Government Separation Of Powers Executive Branch

Book:The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 29: 1 March 1796 to 31 December 1797

Source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 29: 1 March 1796 to 31 December 1797

“It is one thing to be subordinate to the laws, and another [for the Executive] to be dependent on the legislative body. The first comports with, the last violates, the fundamental principles of good government; and, whatever may be the forms of the Constitution, unites all power in the same hands.”

Firsts May Body Hands Government Lasts Form Law Principles One Thing Constitution Fundamentals Separation Dependent Executives Subordinates Fundamental Principles Separation Of Powers

Book:The Federalist on the New Constitution

Source: The Federalist on the New Constitution

“The question whether the judges are invested with exclusive authority to decide on the constitutionality of a law has been heretofore a subject of consideration with me in the exercise of official duties. Certainly there is not a word in the Constitution which has given that power to them more than to the Executive or Legislative branches.”

Has Beens Law Given Subjects Judging Duty Exercise Authority Constitution Officials Branches Consideration Executives Exclusive Legislative Branch

Book:The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: 1 October 1814 to 31 August 1815

Source: The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: 1 October 1814 to 31 August 1815

“I shall make it my chief business to see that the [royal] executive power has its place in the constitution.”

Revolution Constitution Chiefs Executives Royal French Revolution Executive Power

Author:Honore Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau

“It was settled by the Constitution, the laws, and the whole practice of the government that the entire executive power is vested in the President of the United States.”

States Whole Government Law President United Practice United States Constitution Executives Executive Power

Book:Annual messages, veto messages, protest, &c. of Andrew Jackson, President of the United States

Source: Annual messages, veto messages, protest, &c. of Andrew Jackson, President of the United States