[Do not] be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These…are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery, and cowardice.
Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.
Avowed resistance by arms, against usurpation and lawless violence, is not rebellion by the law of God or the land.
But a constitution of government once changed from freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
I agree with you that in politics the middle way is none at all.
It is folly to anticipate evils, and madness to create imaginary ones.
It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.
It’s of more importance to community that innocence should be protected than it is that guilt should be punished.
Killing one tyrant only makes way for worse, unless the people have sense, spirit, and honesty enough to establish and support a constitution guarded…against the tyranny of the one, the few, and the many.
Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write.
Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people.
No man who ever held the office of president would congratulate a friend on obtaining it.
Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.
Property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist.
The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed…, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity, and humanity.
The jaws of power are always open to devour...the freedom of thinking, speaking, and writing.
The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.
The right of a nation to kill a tyrant, in cases of necessity, can no more be doubted, than to hang a robber, or kill a flea.
There are two tyrants in human life who domineer in all nations…: fashion and party.
There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.
There is something very unnatural and odious in a government a thousand leagues off.
Virtue is not always amiable.
We ought to consider what is the end of government, before we determine which is the best form.
Without religion this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean hell.