Best political & government Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 2

“Anarchism is that political philosophy which advocates the maximization of individual responsibility and the reduction of concentrated power regal, dictatorial, parliamentary: the institutions which go loosely by the name of "government" to a vanishing minimum.”

Philosophy Government Political Names Individual Responsibility Institutions Minimum Political Philosophy Anarchism Reduction Vanishing Parliamentary Individual Responsibility Regal

Author:Alex Comfort

“The people = government doctrine is equivalent to political infantilism -- an agreement to pretend that the citizen's wishes animate each restriction or exaction inflicted upon him.”

People Government Political Wish Citizens Doctrine Agreement Restriction

Book:Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen

Source: Freedom in Chains: The Rise of the State and the Demise of the Citizen

“Every possible effort should be made to stop recruiting for the Armed Forces. This may, and probably would, lead to some form of conscription being proposed or introduced. Thus would be provided a most favourable political platform upon which to fight the National Government.”

Should May Made Government Would Be Form Political Fighting Force Effort Platforms Armed Forces Conscription

Author:Stafford Cripps

“We have moved from an age in which government leaders sought to do what was best for the people to one in which the political leadership is convinced it knows what is best for the people, whether they like it or not.”

People Knows Government Age Political Leader Moved Convinced Political Leadership

Book:Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World

Source: Beyond Terror: Strategy in a Changing World

“Conservatives insist that government should be "run more like a business." One might wonder how that could be possible, since government does not market goods and services for the purpose of capital accumulation.”

Should Doe Government Might Running Political Purpose Wonder Goods Accumulation Goods And Services

Author:Michael Parenti

“In times of political confusion, and under an arbitrary government, many will prefer to keep their capital inactive, concealed, and unproductive, either of profit or gratification, rather than run the risk of its display. This latter evil is never felt under a good government.”

Government Running Political Evil Felt Risk Profit Confusion Latter Display Arbitrary Gratification Concealed Unproductive

Book:A Treatise on Political Economy; Or, The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth

Source: A Treatise on Political Economy; Or, The Production, Distribution, and Consumption of Wealth

“We also need to encourage Americans to become more fiscally responsible themselves. We can do this by redesigning our tax system into an expenditure tax with a single flat rate. ... We have to substantially reduce the size and scope of the federal government, fundamentally increase the role of the states in choosing their own practices, and bring decision-making closer to the people, not to unelected administrators. These steps are crucial to getting our nation on a path of fiscal, political and constitutional responsibility.”

“Anarchism is in reality the ideal of political and social science, and also the ideal of religion. It is the ideal to which Jesus Christ looked forward. Christ founded no church, established no state, gave practically no laws, organized no government and set up no external authority, but he did seek to write on the hearts of men God's law and make them self-legislating.”

Men Writing Heart Self States Reality Government Law Political Jesus Social Christ Church Authority Jesus Christ Ideals Organized Anarchism Social Science

Author:R. Heber Newton

“From that point on, the extraordinary system of spies and informers which has played an important part in the political work of the French state into our own time took shape. (Sartine, who became lieutenant general de police in 1759, is supposed to have said to Louis XV, "Sire, when three people are chatting in the street one of them is surely my man.") Eighteenth-century police manuals like those of Colquhoun in England or Lemaire in France are no less than general treatises on the government's full repertoire of domestic regulation, coercion, and surveillance.”

Source: The Formation of national States in Western Europe

“It is a mistake to think of these men as visionary dreamers, playing around at Philadelphia with abstract conceptions of political theory, pulling a whole scheme of government out of the air like a rabbit out of a hat. True, many of them had read and studied enough about the science of politics to put the average statesman of today to shame. But political science was to them an extremely practical topic of discussion, dealing with the extremely practical business of running a government--not, as today, a branch of higher learning reserved for the use of graduate students.”

Source: 55 Men, Story of Constitution

“Anarchism is a theory of political science and is opposed to government in the political sense.”

Government Political Theory Political Science Anarchism

Author:Steven T. Byington

“Anarchists know that a long period of education must precede any great fundamental change in society, hence they do not believe in vote begging, nor political campaigns, but rather in the development of self-thinking individuals. We look away from government for relief, because we know that force (legalized) invades the personal liberty of man, seizes upon the natural elements and intervenes between man and natural laws; from this exercise of force through governments flows nearly all the misery, poverty, crime and confusion existing in society.”

“Authoritarian governments are now trying to ensure that the increasingly free flow of ideas and information through cyberspace fuels their economies without threatening their political power.”

Trying Ideas Government Political Economy Information Flow Fuel Threatening Political Power Cyberspace Authoritarian Government

Author:Ian Bremmer

“State capitalism is about more than emergency government spending, implementation of more intelligent regulation, or a stronger social safety net. It's about state dominance of economic activity for political gain.”

States Government Political Social Economic Activity Capitalism Gains Stronger Intelligent Safety Spending Regulation Emergencies Dominance Implementation Safety Net Government Spending

Author:Ian Bremmer

“'You didn't build that' will be Obama's political epitaph: With these remarks, Obama has come out of the closet as a most odious collectivist, who believes religiously that government predation is a condition for production. Or, put simply, that the parasite created the host.”

Believe Government Political Conditions Productions Host Closets Remarks Epitaph Parasites

Author:Ilana Mercer

“When you think about a presidential candidate spending all of his or her time talking to that tiny, tiny fraction of us who have the capacity to fund political elections, it's obvious why the perspective of government is skewed relative to what most Americans care about.”

Thinking Government Care Political Talking Perspective Capacity Election Obvious Spending Tiny Presidential Candidates Fund Relative Fractions Presidential Candidate Political Election

Author:Lawrence Lessig

“Here in America, government began as a tool to assure freedom. It gradually turned into a hideously expensive political toy designed to redistribute your wealth and control most aspects of your business and private life.”

Government America Political Wealth Aspect Tools Expensive Toys Private Life

Author:Mark Skousen

“The best government is that which teaches us to govern ourselves.”

Government Political Politics Freedom Teach History Conservative

Book:Maxims and Reflections

Source: Maxims and Reflections

“I took a hasty trip to Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and England to talk to the officials of each Government about their pension provisions, and to talk to the responsible ministers in each country about the political "whys" of their legislation.”

Country Government Political England Responsible Ministers Officials Germany Legislation Provision Pension Sweden Denmark Hasty Netherlands

Book:Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage

Source: Memoirs of a Bird in a Gilded Cage

“As a 29 year veteran of the US Army/Army Reserves, retiring as a Colonel and having served as a U.S. diplomat for 16 years and resigning in 2003 in opposition to the Iraq war, I firmly believe war does not resolve political issues. We must work diligently to force the governments of our nations to use diplomacy, not weapons.”

“Our country, if you read the 'Federalist Papers,' is about disagreement. It's about pitting faction against faction, divided government, checks and balances. The hero in American political tradition is the man who stands up to the mob - not the mob itself.”

Ifs Men Country Government Political Hero Balance Paper Tradition Checks Our Country Divided Papers Disagreement Factions Federalist Federalist Papers Divided Government

Author:Jonah Goldberg

“If everybody in this town connected with politics had to leave town because of chasing women and drinking, you would have no government.”

Ifs Government Political Politics Towns Drinking Connected Chasing

Author:Barry Goldwater

“The income tax created more criminals than any other single act of government.”

Government Political Taxes Debt Spending Criminals Income Taxation Income Tax National Debt Tax Breaks Tax Day Taxes Funny Federal Taxes

Author:Barry Goldwater

“We know that the only alternative to private competition is government monopoly of enterprise. We know that when government monopolizes production, distribution, and employment, it is no longer the servant of men - it is their master. And, therefore, we know that economic liberty and political liberty are inseparable parts of the same ball of wax - that we must keep them both, or we shall lose them both.”

“The tumults in America I expected would have produced in Europe an unfavorable opinion of our political state. But it has not. On the contrary, the small effect of these tumults seems to have given more confidence in the firmness of our governments. The interposition of the people themselves on the side of government has had a great effect on the opinion here in Europe.”

People States Wisdom Seems Government America Political Politics Given Sides Opinion Economy Effects Europe Expected Contrary Liberalism Firmness Tumult

Book:Jefferson: Political Writings

Source: Jefferson: Political Writings

“The enactment of the Homestead Act would create the strongest tie between the citizen and the Government-he would with cheerfulness contribute his proportionable part of the taxes to defray the expenses of the political system under which he lived.”

Wisdom Government Political Politics Economy Citizens Taxes Ties Liberalism Expenses Strongest Cheerfulness Political Systems Homestead Act

Author:Andrew Johnson

“A democratic constitution, not supported by democratic institutions in detail, but confined to the central government, not only is not political freedom, but often creates a spirit precisely the reverse, carrying down to the lowest grade in society the desire and ambition of political domination.”

Source: Principles of political economy with some of their applications to social philosophy

“Our Founding Fathers well understood that concentrated power is the enemy of liberty and the rights of man. They knew that the American experiment in individual liberty, free enterprise and republican self-government could succeed only if power were widely distributed. And since in any society social and political power flow from economic power, they saw that wealth and property would have to be widely distributed among the people of the country. The truth of this insight is immediately apparent.”

“It appears it would be quite un-American not to be suspicious of the government or to distrust it. History has taught them a little too much about the tragic frailties of human governments, but it has also driven home to them that they must control firmly political and economic power, which, handed over to any government in their land, could be easily used to oppress them.”

Humans Littles Home Wisdom Government Would Be Political Used Politics Economy Too Much Economic Land Taught Driven Liberalism Tragic Distrust Suspicious Frailty Economic Power

Author:Ndabaningi Sithole

“Way down deep the American people are afraid of an entangling relationship between formal religions - or whole bodies of religious belief - and government. Apart from constitutional law and religious doctrine, there is a sense that tells us it's wrong to presume to speak for God or to claim God's sanction of our particular legislation and his rejection of all other positions. Most of us are offended when we see religion being trivialized by its appearance in political throw-away pamphlets.”

“I am a political animal, because for God's sakes I think "We The People" is a job. I think experienced self government demands on all levels - intellectual, moral, historical, and spiritual level. We are supposed to be engaged and give directions to our elected employees.”

People Thinking Giving Self Government Jobs Spiritual Political Animal Levels Moral Demand Intellectual Historical Sake Supposed To Be Engaged Employee Self-government Political Animals

Author:Ted Nugent

“The future lies with those wise political leaders who realize that the great public is interested more in Government than in politics. The growing independence of voters, after all, has been proven by the votes in every Presidential election since my childhood and the tendency, frankly, is on the increase.”

“When the Founders thought of democracy, they saw democracy in the political sphere - a sphere strictly limited by the Constitution's well-defined and enumerated powers given the federal government. Substituting democratic decision making for what should be private decision making is nothing less than tyranny dressed up.”

Should Wells Government Political Given Decision Democracy Saws Constitution Democratic Tyranny Defined Decision Making Spheres Founders Federal Government Dressed Up

Author:Walter E. Williams

“I look upon parliamentary government as the noblest government in the world, and certainly one most suited to England. But without the discipline of political connection, animated by the principle of private honor, I feel certain that a popular assembly would sink before the power or the corruption of a minister.”

World Feels Looks Government Political Certain Principles Discipline Honor Connections England Corruption Ministers Look Up Animated Assembly Parliamentary Parliamentary Government

Author:Benjamin Disraeli

“Government is the political representative of a natural equilibrium, of custom, of inertia; it is by no means a representative of reason.”

Mean Reason Government Political Natural Customs Representatives Equilibrium Inertia

Book:The Life of Reason or The Phases of Human Progress: Reason in Society, Volume VII, Book Two

Source: The Life of Reason or The Phases of Human Progress: Reason in Society, Volume VII, Book Two

“If you disagree with your government, that's political. If you disagree with your government that is approaching theocracy, then you're evil.”

Ifs Government Political Evil Disagree Theocracy

Author:Margaret Atwood

“the overwhelming majority of people who are engaged in the processes of thought and expression are Democrats because the essence of thought is exploration and diversity and change. It's impossible to have vision in art or government without risk, or the boldness and courage which produce risk. And this - in spite of what they call modern Republicanism - is the antithesis of true Republican thinking.”

“How the American right managed to convince itself that the programs to alleviate poverty are responsible for the consequences of poverty will someday be studied as a notorious mass illusion.”

Government Political Party Poverty Mass Illusion Consequence Program Responsible Welfare Convince Someday Political Parties Notorious Alleviate

Book:You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You

Source: You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You

“The political bug first bit me was Malcolm Fraser's resignation from the Gorton Government.”

Firsts Government Political Bits Bugs Resignation

Author:George Brandis

“My own take on it is that government will never adequately represent every person in the country. It can't. It's not possible. It's a multicultural, multifaceted society in which we live. The country, I think, thrives because it's willing to embrace many ideas at the same time, but once a decision is made you will be unpopular with many people. The business of our political leaders is to go ahead and make a decision and let the chips fall where they may. That's a very hard thing to do.”

People Thinking May Persons Made Ideas Country Hard Government Political Fall My Own Decision Leader Willing Embrace Things To Do Thrive Chips Hard Things Political Leaders Multicultural

Author:Kelsey Grammer

“I'd say that one area where my political views have remained unchanged is that, I am opposed to the government spying on everybody.”

Government Political Views Areas Political View Government Spying

Author:Tom Morello

“The wonder is not that the world is so easily governed, but that so small a number of persons will suffice for the purpose. There are dead weights in political and legislative bodies as in clocks, and hundreds answer as pulleys who would never do for politicians.”

World Persons Body Government Political Purpose Answers Numbers Wonder Politician Weight Clock Pulleys

Book:Egeria: Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside

Source: Egeria: Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside

“Nations are political and military entities, and so are blocs of nations. But it doesn't necessarily follow from this that they are also the basic, salient entities of economic life or that they are particularly useful for probing the mysteries of economic structure, the reasons for rise and decline of wealth. Indeed, the failure of national governments and blocs of nations to force economic life to do their bidding suggests some sort of essential irrelevance.”

Reason Government Political Force Nations Wealth Mystery Economic Military Essentials Economics Structure Decline Entity Bidding Irrelevance Probing

Book:Cities and the Wealth of Nations

Source: Cities and the Wealth of Nations

“Nowhere has democracy ever worked well without a great measure of local self-government, providing a school of political training for the people at large as much as for their future leaders.”

People Wells Self Government School Political Leader Democracy Training Locals Providing Self-government Future Leaders

Author:Friedrich August von Hayek

“Life itself, however, flows and is sequential and punishes those who try to compartmentalize it. Thus if, for any reason whatsoever, moral standards are conspicuously and unprecedentedly breached in one area of society, such as the political, it will follow as the night the day that those standards will start collapsing all down the line-in sports, entertainment, education, the armed forces, business and government.”

Ifs Trying Reason Government Political Night Force Sports Lines Moral Morality Standards Areas Flow Entertainment Armed Forces Sports Entertainment

Author:Margaret Halsey

“The conclusions seem inescapable that in certain circles a tendency has arisen to fear people who fear government. Government, as the Father of Our Country put it so well, is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. People who understand history, especially the history of government, do well to fear it. For a people to express openly their fear of those of us who are afraid of tyranny is alarming. Fear of the state is in no sense subversive. It is, to the contrary, the healthiest political philosophy for a free people.”

“You are talking to a leftist. I believe in the redistribution of wealth and power in the world. I believe in universal hospital care for everyone. I believe that we should not have a single homeless person in the richest country in the world. And I believe that we should not have a C.I.A. that goes around overwhelming governments and assassinating political leaders, working for tight oligarchies around the world to protect the tight oligarchy here at home.”

“There is a single theme behind all our work-we must reduce population levels. Either governments do it our way, through nice clean methods, or they will get the kinds of mess that we have in El Salvador, or in Iran or in Beirut. Population is a political problem. Once population is out of control, it requires authoritarian government, even fascism, to reduce it.”

“In my opinion, a war between England and Germany was a war between brothers. In my inner self I admired the English government and political system.”

War Self Government Political Opinion Brother England Germany Inner Self Political Systems English Government

Author:Walter Schellenberg

“In the United States the government has become less important. So, it's democracy, but as each year passes it seems that the government plays less of a role in people's lives, and so they're living in whatever situation their employment imposes upon them more than they're living in a grand political system.”

People Years Important States Play Seems Government Political United Situation Roles United States Democracy Employment Political Systems

Author:Will Oldham

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