“It was settled by the Constitution, the laws, and the whole practice of the government that the entire executive power is vested in the President of the United States.”
Government shapes daily life in ways most people never think about. These quotes cover democracy, policy, power, corruption, civic duty, and the endless debate over how much government is too much — or not enough.
“We should reject big government and look inside ourselves for all the things that built this country into what it was.”
“It was settled by the Constitution, the laws, and the whole practice of the government that the entire executive power is vested in the President of the United States.”
“The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.”
“Who can be against progress, after all? But it's a fraudulent use of the word - because for the Progressive, progress is marked not be how free you are, but how much government can 'do' for you.”
“Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination.”
“To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.”
“For over 30 years, the IRA showed that the British government could not rule Ireland on its own terms.”
“Conquest is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government.”
“A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government.”
“Government itself is founded upon the great doctrine of the consent of the governed, and has its cornerstone in the memorable principle that men are endowed with inalienable rights.”
“I am often asked if, when I was secretary, I had problems with foreign men. That is not who I had problems with, because I arrived in a very large plane that said United States of America. I had more problems with the men in our own government.”
“Remember that government doesn't earn one single dollar it spends. In order for you to get money from the government, that money must first be taken from somebody else.”
“So confident am I in the intentions, as well as wisdom, of the government, that I shall always be satisfied that what is not done, either cannot, or ought not to be done.”
“Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too.”
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”
“When a nation is over-reliant on one or two commodities like oil or precious minerals, corrupt government ministers and their dodgy associates hoard profits and taxes instead of properly allocating them to schools and hospitals.”