Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others?
Most bad government has grown out of too much government.
The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.
When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.
The glow of one warm thought is worth more to me than money.
I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
The government is best which governs least
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.
Delay is preferable to error.