A great writer is, so to speak, a second government in his country. And for that reason no regime has read more

A great writer is, so to speak, a second government in his country. And for that reason no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will
fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in read more

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will
fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible
struggle.

Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults read more

Christmas is the time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell government what they want and their kids pay for it.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.

A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.

States are great engines moving slowly.

States are great engines moving slowly.

So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs.

So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs.

Good government is no substitute for self-government

Good government is no substitute for self-government

So that every wand or staff of empire is forsooth curved at top.
[Lat., Adeo ut omnes imperii virga read more

So that every wand or staff of empire is forsooth curved at top.
[Lat., Adeo ut omnes imperii virga sive bacillum vere superius
inflexum sit.]

A wise government knows how to enforce with temper, or to conciliate with dignity, but a weak one is odious read more

A wise government knows how to enforce with temper, or to conciliate with dignity, but a weak one is odious in the former, and contemptible in the latter.