The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws.
—Tacitus, c. 117Quotes
The affairs of the world are no more than so much trickery, and a man who toils for money or honor or whatever else in deference to the wishes of others, rather than because his own desire or needs lead him to do so, will always be a fool.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1774Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made.
—Immanuel Kant, 1784To 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 BCLet him who desires peace prepare for war.
—Vegetius, c. 385The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right.
—Judge Learned Hand, 1944A riot is at bottom the language of the unheard.
—Martin Luther King Jr., c. 1967There is no method by which men can be both free and equal.
—Walter Bagehot, 1863He may be a patriot for Austria, but the question is whether he is a patriot for me.
—Emperor Francis Joseph, c. 1850Treaties, you see, are like girls and roses: they last while they last.
—Charles de Gaulle, 1963It 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. 1515I say violence is necessary. It is as American as cherry pie.
—H. Rap Brown, 1967I am no courtesan, nor moderator, nor tribune, nor defender of the people: I am myself the people.
—Maximilien Robespierre, 1792