I would die to preserve the law upon a solid foundation; but take away liberty, and the foundation is destroyed.

People sometimes attribute my success to my genius; all the genius I know anything about is hard work.

Give all the power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all the power to the few, they will oppress the many.

When a government betrays the people by amassing too much power and becoming tyrannical, the people have no choice but to exercise their original right of self-defense — to fight the government.

One great error is that we suppose mankind more honest than they are.

I think the first duty of society is justice.

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.

Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike.

A nation which can prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.

Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence.

It's not tyranny we desire; it's a just, limited, federal government.

Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore.

We downplay our excellence when we only depend on miracles.

He was in that stage of love–and of liquor–where one is completely taken up with oneself, and can get along very well without the other party.

I can write music but I'm not much for words.

A man who loves good food has a way of making it gravitate toward his kitchen.

Yellow Face marks my summation of multiculturalism.

When we started, we knew the show was going to be hit or miss, and we needed to find a core audience to really make us survive. And I think we've been able to do that.

I don't follow any organized religion, but I do believe in the idea of god as a verb - being love and light. And that we are part of everything as everything is part of us.

There are two types of claims: those based on hard numbers and those based on slippery numbers.

All poets, all writers are political. They either maintain the status quo, or they say, 'Something's wrong, let's change it for the better.'