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.
—Hannah Arendt, 1958Quotes
Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.
—Jeremy Bentham, c. 1832It 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, 1625Written 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 BCWhy has the government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.
—Alexander Hamilton, 1787You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.
—Aristophanes, c. 424 BCI’m president of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!
—George H. W. Bush, 1990Envy is the basis of democracy.
—Bertrand Russell, 1930Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.
—LaoziThere is no method by which men can be both free and equal.
—Walter Bagehot, 1863Television has made dictatorship impossible, but democracy unbearable.
—Shimon Peres, 1995The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws.
—Tacitus, c. 117