Free institutions are not the property of any majority. They do not confer upon majorities unlimited powers. The rights of read more

Free institutions are not the property of any majority. They do not confer upon majorities unlimited powers. The rights of the majority are limited rights. They are limited not only by the constitutional guarantees but by the moral principle implied in those guarantees. That principle is that men may not use the facilities of liberty to impair them. No man may invoke a right in order to destroy it.

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.

Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and read more

Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god.

...the argument for liberty is not an argument against organization, which is one of the most powerful tools human reason read more

...the argument for liberty is not an argument against organization, which is one of the most powerful tools human reason can employ, but an argument against all exclusive, privileged, monopolistic organization, against the use of coercion to prevent others from doing better.

The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of read more

The genius of a good leader is to leave behind him a situation which common sense, without the grace of genius, can deal with successfully.

The assumption that spending more of the taxpayer's money will make things better has survived all kinds of evidence that read more

The assumption that spending more of the taxpayer's money will make things better has survived all kinds of evidence that it has made things worse. The black family- which survived slavery, discrimination, poverty, wars and depressions- began to come apart as the federal government moved in with its well-financed programs to "help.".

Nobody is equal to anybody. Even the same man is not equal to himself on different days.

Nobody is equal to anybody. Even the same man is not equal to himself on different days.

I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.

I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.

Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in read more

Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don't want them to become politicians in the process.