It is the besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which read more

It is the besetting vice of democracies to substitute public opinion for law. This is the usual form in which the masses of men exhibit their tyranny.

You better take advantage of the good cigars. You don't get much else in that job.

You better take advantage of the good cigars. You don't get much else in that job.

God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials.

God prepares great men for great tasks by great trials.

He is free who knows how to keep in his own hand the power to decide, at each step, the read more

He is free who knows how to keep in his own hand the power to decide, at each step, the course of his life, and who lives in a society which does not block the exercise of that power.

Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.

Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.

It is the very essence of despotism that it can never afford to fail. This is what distinguishes it most read more

It is the very essence of despotism that it can never afford to fail. This is what distinguishes it most vitally from democracy. In a despotism there is no organized opposition which can take over the power when the Administration in office has failed. All the eggs are in one basket. Everything is staked on one coterie of men. When the going is good, they move more quickly and efficiently than democracies, where the opposition has to be persuaded and conciliated. But when they lose, there are no reserves. There are no substitutes on the bench ready to go out on the field and carry the ball. That is why democracies with the habit of party government have outlived all other forms of government in the modern world. They have, as it were, at least two governments always at hand, and when one fails they have the other. They have diversified the risks of mortality, corruption, and stupidity which pervade all human affairs. They have remembered that the most beautifully impressive machine cannot run for very long unless there is available a complete supply of spare parts.

Beguiled by George S. Bush's easy smile and casual indifference to the details, we are on the brink of electing read more

Beguiled by George S. Bush's easy smile and casual indifference to the details, we are on the brink of electing him to office. This isn't choosing a president, it's casting the lead in a sitcom about the presidency.

In republican governments, men are all equal; equal they are also is despotic governments: in the former, because they are read more

In republican governments, men are all equal; equal they are also is despotic governments: in the former, because they are everything; in the latter, because they are nothing.

A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more read more

A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future.