John Adams
“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.”
“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
“A government of laws, and not of men.”
“Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes,
exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”
“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Quincy Adams
“Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the
champion and vindicator only of her own.”
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
Samuel Adams
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in
peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands that feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may
posterity forget that ye we our countrymen !” Samuel Adams… 1 August 1776…Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA.
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our Country will stand in
need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin..-” Samuel Adams, 1776
“It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the
minds of men.”
"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together
with the right to defend them in the best manner they can.”
“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”
-= Essay in the Public Advertiser, 1749 =-
Horatio Bunce
“It Is A Precedent Fraught With Danger to the Country, For When Congress Once Begins To Stretch It’s Power Beyond The Limits
Of the Constitution, there Is No Limit To It, And No Security For The People.”
Benjamin Franklin
“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”.
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious,
they have more need of masters.”
“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
“I have long been of your opinion, that your legal provision for the poor {in England} is a very great evil, operating as it does to the
encouragement of idleness. We have followed your example, and begin now to see our error, and I hope, shall reform it.”
Writings of Ben Franklin, Smyth..10:64
“I’ve lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That GOD governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We’ve been assured in the sacred writings that unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, and also believe that without His concurring aid, We shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
Delegate at the 1987 Constitutional Convention requesting prayer..
Patrick Henry
” All That Is Necessary For The Triumph of Evil Is That Good Men Do Nothing !!”
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it
but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.”
“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what
course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Thomas Jefferson
“GOD who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis,
a conviction in the minds of the people that these “Liberties are of the “Gift of GOD”? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?
“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that GOD is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
1781..Notes On The State of Virginia.
“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.”“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking
care of them.”
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.”
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against
tyranny in government.”
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
“As long as we keep God in our thoughts, we will keep our country free.”
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever
allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that
will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent
their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."
James Madison
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite…….”.
“The powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties,
and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the state.”
“Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own
voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution.”
“With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them.
To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs
was not contemplated by its creators.”
“Democracy is the most vile form of government… democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention:
have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property: and have in general been as short in their
lives as they have been violent in their deaths”.
“I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power
than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
“It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.”
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
“History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and its issuance.”
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”
“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read,
or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.”
"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”
“The most common and durable source of faction has been the various and unequal distribution of property.”
“If a General Convention were to take place for the avowed and sole purpose of revising the Constitution, it would naturally consider itself as having a greater latitude than the Congress….It would consequently give greater agitation to the public mind; an election to it would be courted
by the most violent partisans on both sides … [and] would no doubt contain individuals..of insidious views, who, under the mask of seeking alterations popular in some parts … might have the dangerous opportunity of sapping the very foundations of the fabric…. Having witnessed
the difficulties and dangers experienced by the first Convention, which assembled under every propitious circumstance, I should tremble for the result of a second, meeting in the present temper in America.” [From a letter by James Madison to G.L. Turberville, November 2, 1788]
George Washington
"And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essentials particularly military supplies” .....…First Annual address to Congress.
“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that FOREIGN INFLUENCE is one of the most baneful foes of Republican government.”
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports….And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle.”
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth”
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master”
"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism”
"I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery”.
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
“If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our
rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War”.
"Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.”
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.”
“The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken
until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.”
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light”
“The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.”
“…If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by
an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed…” … (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796)
William Penn
"If men will not be governed by God, they will be ruled by tyrants."
“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.”
“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”
“A government of laws, and not of men.”
“Democracy… while it lasts is more bloody than either aristocracy or monarchy. Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes,
exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.”
“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.”
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
John Quincy Adams
“Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all. She is the
champion and vindicator only of her own.”
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."
Samuel Adams
“If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in
peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands that feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may
posterity forget that ye we our countrymen !” Samuel Adams… 1 August 1776…Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA.
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our Country will stand in
need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin..-” Samuel Adams, 1776
“It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the
minds of men.”
"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together
with the right to defend them in the best manner they can.”
“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”
-= Essay in the Public Advertiser, 1749 =-
Horatio Bunce
“It Is A Precedent Fraught With Danger to the Country, For When Congress Once Begins To Stretch It’s Power Beyond The Limits
Of the Constitution, there Is No Limit To It, And No Security For The People.”
Benjamin Franklin
“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”.
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious,
they have more need of masters.”
“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
“I have long been of your opinion, that your legal provision for the poor {in England} is a very great evil, operating as it does to the
encouragement of idleness. We have followed your example, and begin now to see our error, and I hope, shall reform it.”
Writings of Ben Franklin, Smyth..10:64
“I’ve lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That GOD governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We’ve been assured in the sacred writings that unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, and also believe that without His concurring aid, We shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
Delegate at the 1987 Constitutional Convention requesting prayer..
Patrick Henry
” All That Is Necessary For The Triumph of Evil Is That Good Men Do Nothing !!”
“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it
but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined.”
“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what
course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Thomas Jefferson
“GOD who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis,
a conviction in the minds of the people that these “Liberties are of the “Gift of GOD”? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath?
“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that GOD is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
1781..Notes On The State of Virginia.
“Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”
It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.”“I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking
care of them.”
“My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”
“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.”
"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against
tyranny in government.”
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
“As long as we keep God in our thoughts, we will keep our country free.”
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever
allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that
will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent
their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."
James Madison
“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite…….”.
“The powers reserved to the several states will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties,
and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the state.”
“Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own
voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution.”
“With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them.
To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs
was not contemplated by its creators.”
“Democracy is the most vile form of government… democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention:
have ever been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property: and have in general been as short in their
lives as they have been violent in their deaths”.
“I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power
than by violent and sudden usurpations.”
“It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.”
“If men were angels, no government would be necessary.”
“History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and its issuance.”
"The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”
“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read,
or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.”
"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”
“The most common and durable source of faction has been the various and unequal distribution of property.”
“If a General Convention were to take place for the avowed and sole purpose of revising the Constitution, it would naturally consider itself as having a greater latitude than the Congress….It would consequently give greater agitation to the public mind; an election to it would be courted
by the most violent partisans on both sides … [and] would no doubt contain individuals..of insidious views, who, under the mask of seeking alterations popular in some parts … might have the dangerous opportunity of sapping the very foundations of the fabric…. Having witnessed
the difficulties and dangers experienced by the first Convention, which assembled under every propitious circumstance, I should tremble for the result of a second, meeting in the present temper in America.” [From a letter by James Madison to G.L. Turberville, November 2, 1788]
George Washington
"And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essentials particularly military supplies” .....…First Annual address to Congress.
“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that FOREIGN INFLUENCE is one of the most baneful foes of Republican government.”
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports….And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail to the exclusion of religious principle.”
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples’ liberty’s teeth”
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master”
"Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism”
"I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for the abolition of slavery”.
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”
“If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our
rising prosperity, it must be known, that we are at all times ready for War”.
"Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.”
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
“The Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.”
“The constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken
until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.”
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light”
“The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves.”
“…If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by
an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed…” … (Washington’s Farewell Address 1796)
William Penn
"If men will not be governed by God, they will be ruled by tyrants."