Men of New England, I hold you to the doctrines of liberty which ye inherit from your Puritan forefathers.

We are laying the foundations of a government, which we hope may outlast the Pyramids.

Upon the Constitution, upon the pre-existing legal rights of the People, as understood in this country and in England, I have argued that this House is bound to revive the Petition under debate.

The right of petition, I have said, was not conferred on the People by the Constitution, but was a pre-existing right, reserved by the People out of the grants of power made to Congress.

Entertaining these opinions of the course to be pursued, I beg of gentlemen to look at the question, as I have done, in a calm review of facts and of principles.

It is impossible, in my mind, to distinguish between the refusal to receive a petition, or its summary rejection by some general order, and the denial of the right of petition.

I maintain that the House is bound by the Constitution to receive the petitions; after which, it will take such method of deciding upon them as reason and principle shall dictate.

You well know, sir, that when the Constitution was submitted to the People of the respective States for their adoption or rejection, it awakened the warmest debates of the several State conventions.

I declare and protest in advance, that I do not intend, at this time at least; to be drawn or driven into the question of slavery, in either of its subdivisions or forms.

And if this House is to be scared, by whatever influences, from its duty, to receive and hear the petitions of the People, then I shall send my voice beyond the walls of this Capitol for redress.

Men of Virginia, countrymen of Washington, of Patrick Henry, of Jefferson, and of Madison, will ye be true to your constitutional faith?

Browning's tragedies are tragedies without villains.

And as I started reaching deeper I realized that most of the blues of that day was done by men. Women just didn't have the nerve.

I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.

Each of my book arrives at a form and a style that is appropriate to the subject.

Zeal is ever the buckler and shield of a true soldier.

To be left alone, and face to face with my own crime, had been just retribution.

John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name.

In communist countries, you execute your poets. In the free world, the poets execute themselves.

If you don’t intend having a compromise, you don’t negotiate at all.

You have to believe that you can act and that you're the right person for the job but I think it's good to not always know how you're going to do it. The fun part is trying to figure it out.