All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy.

Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

Every communist must grasp the truth: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”

In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly.

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

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

A real leader is somebody who can help us overcome the limitations of our own individual laziness and selfishness and weakness and fear and get us to do better, harder things than we can get ourselves to do on our own.

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

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

What experience and history teach is this—that nations and governments have never learned anything from history or acted upon any lessons they might have drawn from it.

Natural rights is simple nonsense: natural and imprescriptible rights, rhetorical nonsense—nonsense upon stilts.

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

On the loftiest throne in the world, we still sit only on our own rump.