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Government Quotes

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Government Quotes

“A government by the passions of the multitude, or, no less correctly, according to the vices, and ambitions of their leaders is a democracy.”

Government Passion Leader Democracy Ambition Vices Multitudes

Book:Works of Fisher Ames

Source: Works of Fisher Ames

“You have the army of mediocrities followed by the multitude of fools. As the mediocrities and the fools always form the immense majority, it is impossible for them to elect an intelligent government.”

Government Form Impossible Fool Army Intelligent Majority Mediocrity Immense Multitudes

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Guy de Maupassant (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Guy de Maupassant (Illustrated)

“If we could suppose a great multitude of men to consent to the observation of justice, and other laws of Nature, without a common Power to keep them all in awe; we might as well suppose all mankind to do the same; and then there neither would be nor need to be any civil government or commonwealth at all, because there would be Peace without subjection.”

Ifs Men Needs Wells Government Might Would Be Law Justice Common Mankind Observation Awe Multitudes Consent Laws Of Nature Commonwealth Subjection

Book:Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme, and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil

Source: Leviathan: Or the Matter, Forme, and Power of a Commonwealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil

“We consider ourselves to be free because no one in our society is allowed unlimited powerno leader, faction, party or 'class', no majority, no government, church, corporation, trade, or professional association or trade union. The secret of its freedom is that it is composed of a multitude of organisations in the constitution of the best of which is reproduced that diffusion of power which is characteristic of the whole.”

“The mischief springs from the power which the monied interest derives from a paper currency which they are able to control, from the multitude of corporations with exclusive privileges which they have succeeded in obtaining, and unless you become more watchful in your states and check this spirit of monopoly and thirst for exclusive privileges you will in the end find that the most important powers of government have been given or bartered away.”

Source: Life and Public Services of Gen. Andrew Jackson, Seventh President of the United States: Including the Most Important of His State Papers

“Indeed, the "whole bourgeoisie" on whose behalf the government was acting as its "committee" was a composite of a vast multitude of businessmen appearing as a conglomeration of many different and divergent groups and interests.”

Different Whole Government Interest Acting Groups Multitudes Committees Businessman Behalf Appearing Divergent Bourgeoisie Composites

Book:Political Econ of Growth

Source: Political Econ of Growth

“Under a democratical government the citizens exercise the powers of sovereignty; and those powers will be first abused, and afterwards lost, if they are committed to an unwieldy multitude.”

Ifs Firsts Government Lost History Citizens Exercise Committed Multitudes Sovereignty Roman Empire

Book:The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Source: The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire