It is impossible to tell which of the two dispositions we find in men is more harmful in a republic, that which seeks to maintain an established position or that which has none but seeks to acquire it.
—Niccolò Machiavelli, c. 1515Quotes
There is no method by which men can be both free and equal.
—Walter Bagehot, 1863A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the support of Paul.
—George Bernard Shaw, 1944The U.S. presidency is a Tudor monarchy plus telephones.
—Anthony Burgess, 1972My people and I have come to an agreement that satisfies us both. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please.
—Frederick the Great, c. 1770The most hateful torment for men is to have knowledge of everything but power over nothing.
—Herodotus, c. 425 BCNatural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.
—Jeremy Bentham, c. 1832The vice presidency isn’t worth a pitcher of warm piss.
—John Nance Garner, c. 1967Every communist must grasp the truth: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
—Mao Zedong, 1938The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.
—LaoziI say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.
—H. Rap Brown, 1967There is nothing more tyrannical than a strong popular feeling among a democratic people.
—Anthony Trollope, 1862All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.
—Al Smith, 1933