No 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.

Let him who desires peace prepare for war.

An appeal to the reason of the people has never been known to fail in the long run.

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.

To be turned from one’s course by men’s opinions, by blame, and by misrepresentation shows a man unfit to hold office.

The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.

The Revolution is made by man, but man must forge his revolutionary spirit from day to day.

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

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

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

I’m president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!

You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.

Why has the government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.