To be turned from one’s course by men’s opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold office.
—Quintus Fabius Maximus, c. 203 BCQuotes
I work for a government I despise for ends I think criminal.
—John Maynard Keynes, 1917No human life, not even the life of a hermit, is possible without a world which directly or indirectly testifies to the presence of other human beings.
—Hannah Arendt, 1958Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
—Lord Acton, 1887He may be a patriot for Austria, but the question is whether he is a patriot for me.
—Emperor Francis Joseph, c. 1850Written 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.
—Anacharsis, c. 550 BCYou campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.
—Mario Cuomo, 1985It is a certain sign of a wise government and proceeding, when it can hold men’s hearts by hopes, when it cannot by satisfaction.
—Francis Bacon, 1625I am no courtesan, nor moderator, nor tribune, nor defender of the people: I am myself the people.
—Maximilien Robespierre, 1792Envy is the basis of democracy.
—Bertrand Russell, 1930Treaties, you see, are like girls and roses: they last while they last.
—Charles de Gaulle, 1963Let him who desires peace prepare for war.
—Vegetius, c. 385The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
—Thomas Jefferson, 1787