Famous quotes on government

All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. - Thomas Jefferson

Dependence begets subservience and venality, suffocates the germ of virtue, and prepares fit tools for the designs of ambition. - Thomas Jefferson

Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny. - Thomas Jefferson

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. - Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.- Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. - Thomas Jefferson

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. - Abraham Lincoln

Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. - Abraham Lincoln

I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts. - Abraham Lincoln

Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built. - Abraham Lincoln

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. - Abraham Lincoln

And so, my fellow americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. - John Kennedy

Approximately 80% of our air pollution stems from hydrocarbons released by vegetation, so let's not go overboard in setting and enforcing tough emission standards from man-made sources. - Ronald Reagan

Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. - Ronald Reagan

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. - Ronald Reagan

Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets. - Ronald Reagan

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. - Ronald Reagan

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves. - Ronald Reagan

Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. - Ronald Reagan

Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives. - Ronald Reagan

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. - Ronald Reagan

Man is not free unless government is limited. - Ronald Reagan

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! - Roanld Reagan

Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong. - Ronald Reagan

Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15. - Ronald Reagan

And finally,

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. - Amendment 10 of the United States Constitution.