Envy is the basis of democracy.

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

Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made.

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.

My 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.

The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.

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

The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws.

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

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.

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

I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.

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.