Best Federalist Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 3

“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.”

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

“If the representatives of the people betray their constituents, there is then no recourse left but in the exertion of that original right of self-defense which is paramount to all positive forms of government.”

Source: America's Founding Documents: The Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and the Bill of Rights

“The proposed Constitution, so far from implying an abolition of the State governments, makes them constituent parts of the national sovereignty, by allowing them a direct representation in the Senate, and leaves in their possession certain exclusive and very important portions of sovereign power. This fully corresponds, in every rational import of the terms, with the idea of a federal government.”

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

“The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it.”

Source: James Madison's

“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

“If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify.”

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

“Extend the sphere and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have common motive to invade the rights of other citizens.”

Whole Interest Party Common Greater Rights Citizens Majority Tyranny Variety Motive Spheres Federalist Federalist Papers

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

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

“Let Americans disdain to be the instruments of European greatness! Let the thirteen States, bound together in a strict and indissoluble Union, concur in erecting one great American system, superior to the control of all transatlantic force or influence, and able to dictate the terms of the connection between the old and the new world!”

“Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be a less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.”

Would Be Political Wish Freedom Animal Liberty Fire Air Essentials Agency Folly Destructive Abolish Impart Annihilation Factions Federalist Political Life Federalist Papers Animal Life

Author:James Madison

“The invasion of private rights is chiefly to be apprehended, not from acts of Government contrary to the sense of its constituents, but from acts in which the Government is the mere instrument of the major number of the Constituents.”

Government Numbers Rights Majors Instruments Mere Contrary Invasion Property Rights Constituents Federalist Federalist Papers

Book:Selected Writings of James Madison

Source: Selected Writings of James Madison

“I go further, and affirm that bills of rights, in the sense and to the extent in which they are contended for, are not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous. They would contain various exceptions to powers not granted; and on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do?”

Done Rights Dangerous Accounts Constitution Claims Bills Various Granted Exception Unnecessary Bill Of Rights Pretext Federalist Federalist Papers

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

“The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex.”

Activity Congress Drawing Department Spheres Legislature Extending Federalist Federalist Papers Vortex Impetuous

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

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

“A local spirit will infallibly prevail much more in the members of Congress than a national spirit will prevail in the legislatures of the particular States.”

States Spirit Particular Members Congress Locals Legislature Federalist Federalist Papers

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

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

“[T]here is not a syllable in the plan under consideration which directly empowers the national courts to construe the laws according to the spirit of the Constitution.”

Law Spirit Plans Constitution Court Empowering Consideration Syllables Judiciary Federalist Federalist Papers

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“It is of great importance in a republic, not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers; but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part.”

Republican Importance Injustice Oppression Republic Rulers Federalist Federalist Papers Republican Government Tyranny Of The Majority

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

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

“[T]he great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachment of the others.”

Giving Mean Security Separation Motive Department Concentration Federalist Federalist Papers Encroachment Separation Of Powers

Author:James Madison

“A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”

People Government Doubt Mankind Taught Separation Primaries No Doubt Dependence Freedom And Liberty Freedom Liberty Self-government Federalist Precaution Federalist Papers Separation Of Powers Controlling Government

Book:Selected Writings of James Madison

Source: Selected Writings of James Madison

“But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have been called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.”

Has Beens Different Names Differences Opinion Principles Republican Brethren Federalist Differences Of Opinion Different Names

Book:The Essential Jefferson

Source: The Essential Jefferson

“Experience is the oracle of truth; and where its responses are unequivocal, they ought to be conclusive and sacred.”

Ought Sacred Response Federalist Oracles Federalist Papers Unequivocal

Book:The Federalist, on the new constitution, written in 1788, with an appendix, containing the letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the proclamation of neutrality of 1793, also the original articles of confederation and the constitution of the United States

Source: The Federalist, on the new constitution, written in 1788, with an appendix, containing the letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the proclamation of neutrality of 1793, also the original articles of confederation and the constitution of the United States

“A feeble executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever may be its theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.”

May Government Practice Theory Ill Phrases Executives Execution Federalist Federalist Papers Bad Government

Book:The federalist papers

Source: The federalist papers

“Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression.”

Real Government Lying Danger Oppression Property Rights Federalist Federalist Papers Real Power Government Lies

Book:Selected Writings of James Madison

Source: Selected Writings of James Madison

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.”

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

“Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation.... Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.”

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

“It is not certain that with this aid alone [possession of arms], they would not be able to shake off their yokes. But were the people to posses the additional advantages of local governments chosen by themselves, who could collect the national will, and direct the national force; and of officers appointed out of the militia, by these governments and attached both to them and to the militia, it may be affirmed with the greatest assurance, that the throne of every tyranny in Europe would be speedily overturned, in spite of the legions which surround it.”

“Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm.”

Political Politics Enlightened Statesmen Federalist Federalist Papers Helm Limiting Freedom

Book:The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788, by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Madison, and Mr. Jay: with an Appendix, Containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius, on the Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793; Also, the Original Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, with the Amendments Made Thereto

Source: The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788, by Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Madison, and Mr. Jay: with an Appendix, Containing the Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius, on the Proclamation of Neutrality of 1793; Also, the Original Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, with the Amendments Made Thereto

“Justice is the end of government. It is the end of civil society. It ever has been and ever will be pursued until it be obtained, or until liberty be lost in the pursuit.”