It is the invariable habit of bureaucracies, at all times and everywhere, to assume...that every citizen is a criminal. Their one apparent purpose, pursued with a relentless and furious diligence, is to convert the assumption into a fact. They hunt endlessly for proofs, and, when proofs are lacking, for mere suspicions. The moment they become aware of a definite citizen, John Doe, seeking what is his right under the law, they begin searching feverishly for an excuse for withholding it from him.
You May Also Like / View all maxioms
...whenever it is necessary that one of several conflicting opinions should prevail and when one would have to be made read more
...whenever it is necessary that one of several conflicting opinions should prevail and when one would have to be made to prevail by force if need be, it is less wasteful to determine which has the stronger support by counting numbers than by fighting. Democracy is the only method of peaceful change that man has yet been discovered.
All lasting change is incremented, based on unfolding traditions and developing institutions. Revolutionary upheavals may change how the world looks read more
All lasting change is incremented, based on unfolding traditions and developing institutions. Revolutionary upheavals may change how the world looks but seldom changes the way the world works. Lasting historical change comes not through tidal waves but through the irresistible creeping tide.
God himself has no right to be a tyrant.
God himself has no right to be a tyrant.
To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence read more
To the frustrated, freedom from responsibility is more attractive than freedom from restraint. They are eager to barter their independence for relief from the burdens of willing, deciding and being responsible for inevitable failure. They willingly abdicate the directing of their lives to those who want to plan, command and shoulder all responsibility.
A race of altruists is necessarily a race of slaves. A race of free men is necessarily a race of read more
A race of altruists is necessarily a race of slaves. A race of free men is necessarily a race of egoists.
If "everybody knows" such-and-such, then it ain't so, by at least ten thousand to one.
If "everybody knows" such-and-such, then it ain't so, by at least ten thousand to one.
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.
A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it read more
A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it grows also when it turns to justice and to right for the conservation of its interests.
People constantly speak of "the government" doing this or that, as they might speak of God doing it. But the read more
People constantly speak of "the government" doing this or that, as they might speak of God doing it. But the government is really nothing but a group of men, and usually they are very inferior men. They may have some better man working for them, but they themselves are seldom worthy of any respect.
