People revere the Constitution yet know so little about it—and that goes for some of my fellow senators.

Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them.

There is no method by which men can be both free and equal.

Treaties, you see, are like girls and roses: they last while they last.

The first requirement of a statesman is that he be dull.

The vice presidency isn’t worth a pitcher of warm piss.

O citizens, first acquire wealth; you can practice virtue afterward.

In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly.

If you must take care that your opinions do not differ in the least from those of the person with whom you are talking, you might just as well be alone.

There is nothing more tyrannical than a strong popular feeling among a democratic people.

Written laws are like spiderwebs: they will catch, it is true, the weak and poor but would be torn in pieces by the rich and powerful.

You should never have your best trousers on when you go out to fight for freedom and truth.

You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.