Short list quotes: (hopefully you will agree the length is justified in this rare case ;)
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted." ~ James Madison
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order." ~ Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1798
"A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices" ~ George Orwell
"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." ~ P.J O'Rourke
"Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest." ~ Thomas Sowell1
"Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." ~ H.L. Mencken
"A government resting on the minority is an aristocracy, not a Republic, and could not be safe with a numerical and physical force against it, without a standing army, an enslaved press and a disarmed populace." ~ James Madison
" .. Never let the people with all the money and the people with all the guns be the same people." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that .. these organizers are always good? .. " ~ Frederic Bastiat
"The fact that so many successful politicians are such shameless liars is not only a reflection on them, it is also a reflection on us. When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy." ~ Thomas Sowell
"Term limits aren't enough. We need jail." -- P. J. O'Rourke ALT: “Politicians should be limited to two terms: 1 in office and 1 in prison.” ~ @ksorbs
"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
"A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"If you put your politicians up for sale, as the US does ... then someone will buy them - and it won't be you; you can't afford them." ~ Juan Cole
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"The strange .. triple hypothesis: the total inertness of mankind, the omnipotence of the law, and the infallibility of the legislator." -- Frederic Bastiat [on socialism]
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"More frightening to me than any policy or politician is the ease with which the public is played for fools with words. " ~ Thomas Sowell
"'To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." -- Thomas Reed
Damn good list:
"The republic is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." ~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Hunter
"It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.” ~ Henrik Ibsen
"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money - only for wanting to keep your own money." ~ Joseph Sobran
"A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." ~ H.L. Mencken
"It's illegal to say to a voter 'Here's $100, vote for me.' So what do the politicians do? They offer the $100 in the form of Health Care, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Food Stamps, tobacco subsidies, grain payments, NEA payments, and jobs programs." ~ Don Farrar
“Politicians are the greatest threat facing mankind.” ~ @LegendaryEnergy
"Right after liberal Democrats, the most dangerous politicians are country club Republicans. " ~ Thomas Sowell
"Elections should be held on April 16th - the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders. ~ Thomas Sowell
"No generation has a right to contract debts greater than can be paid off during the course of its own existence." ~ George Washington to James Madison 1789
"Politicians are always interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents." ~ Winston Churchill
Related:
"The idea is quite unfounded that on entering into society we give up any natural right." ~ Thomas Jefferson – to Francis Gilmer, 1816
"Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now." ~ Thomas Jefferson Notes on the State of Virginia 1787
"When all government .. shall be drawn to Washington .. it will .. become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1798
"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself... Almost inevitably, he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable." ~ H.L. Mencken
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard." ~ H.L. Mencken
"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." ~ Thomas Jefferson [Letter to William Ludlow 6 September 1824]
"People with a mission to save the earth want the earth to seem worse than it is so their mission will look more important." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"You can't get good Chinese takeout in China and Cuban cigars are rationed in Cuba. That's all you need to know about Communism." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
On Politicians and Politics
On Politicians and Politics
On Politicians and Politics
Short list quotes: (hopefully you will agree the length is justified in this rare case ;)
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted." ~ James Madison
"The issue today is the same as it has been throughout all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a small elite." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order." ~ Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1798
"A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices" ~ George Orwell
"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." ~ P.J O'Rourke
"Politics is the art of making your selfish desires seem like the national interest." ~ Thomas Sowell1
"Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under." ~ H.L. Mencken
"A government resting on the minority is an aristocracy, not a Republic, and could not be safe with a numerical and physical force against it, without a standing army, an enslaved press and a disarmed populace." ~ James Madison
" .. Never let the people with all the money and the people with all the guns be the same people." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that .. these organizers are always good? .. " ~ Frederic Bastiat
"The fact that so many successful politicians are such shameless liars is not only a reflection on them, it is also a reflection on us. When the people want the impossible, only liars can satisfy." ~ Thomas Sowell
"Term limits aren't enough. We need jail." -- P. J. O'Rourke
ALT: “Politicians should be limited to two terms: 1 in office and 1 in prison.” ~ @ksorbs
"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
"A free people [claim] their rights as derived from the laws of nature, and not as the gift of their chief magistrate." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"If you put your politicians up for sale, as the US does ... then someone will buy them - and it won't be you; you can't afford them." ~ Juan Cole
"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"The strange .. triple hypothesis: the total inertness of mankind, the omnipotence of the law, and the infallibility of the legislator." -- Frederic Bastiat [on socialism]
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"More frightening to me than any policy or politician is the ease with which the public is played for fools with words. " ~ Thomas Sowell
"'To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils in this world are to be cured by legislation." -- Thomas Reed
Damn good list:
"The republic is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind." ~ Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Hunter
"It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.” ~ Henrik Ibsen
"Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money - only for wanting to keep your own money." ~ Joseph Sobran
"A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar." ~ H.L. Mencken
"It's illegal to say to a voter 'Here's $100, vote for me.' So what do the politicians do? They offer the $100 in the form of Health Care, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Food Stamps, tobacco subsidies, grain payments, NEA payments, and jobs programs." ~ Don Farrar
“Politicians are the greatest threat facing mankind.” ~ @LegendaryEnergy
"Right after liberal Democrats, the most dangerous politicians are country club Republicans. " ~ Thomas Sowell
"Elections should be held on April 16th - the day after we pay our income taxes. That is one of the few things that might discourage politicians from being big spenders. ~ Thomas Sowell
"No generation has a right to contract debts greater than can be paid off during the course of its own existence." ~ George Washington to James Madison 1789
"Politicians are always interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents." ~ Winston Churchill
Related:
"The idea is quite unfounded that on entering into society we give up any natural right." ~ Thomas Jefferson – to Francis Gilmer, 1816
"Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now." ~ Thomas Jefferson Notes on the State of Virginia 1787
"When all government .. shall be drawn to Washington .. it will .. become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." ~ Thomas Jefferson, 1798
"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread." ~ Thomas Jefferson
"The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself... Almost inevitably, he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable." ~ H.L. Mencken
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard." ~ H.L. Mencken
"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious." ~ Thomas Jefferson [Letter to William Ludlow 6 September 1824]
"People with a mission to save the earth want the earth to seem worse than it is so their mission will look more important." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
"You can't get good Chinese takeout in China and Cuban cigars are rationed in Cuba. That's all you need to know about Communism." ~ P. J. O'Rourke
What am I missing?
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