“I have thought it my duty to exhibit things as they are, not as they ought to be.”

Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.

An avaricious man might be tempted to betray the interests of the state for the acquisition of wealth.

Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things.

A powerful, victorious ally is yet another name for master.

The very aim and intention of the democratical part, or the house of commons, is to secure the rights of the people. It’s very being depends upon those rights. Its whole power is derived from them, and must be terminated by them.

Hard words are very rarely useful. Real firmness is good for every thing. Strut is good for nothing.

All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and well-born, the other the mass of the people.

There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.

Men are rather reasoning than reasonable animals, for the most part governed by the impulse of passion.

Cold in my professions, warm in my friendships, I wish, my Dear Laurens, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you.

The kindred blood which flows in the veins of American citizens, the mingled blood which they have shed in defense of their sacred rights, consecrate their Union, and excite horror at the idea of their becoming aliens, rivals, enemies.

Divide et impera must be the motto of every nation that either hates or fears us.

To all general purposes we have uniformly been one people each individual citizen everywhere enjoying the same national rights, privileges, and protection.

To all general purposes we have uniformly been one people each individual citizen everywhere enjoying the same national rights, privileges, and protection.

Nobody expects to trust his body overmuch after the age of fifty.

You never want to tie your responsibility to another’s irresponsibility.

To say that it is not our fault does not relieve us of responsibility. However, we may not have polluted the air, but we need to take responsibility, along with others, for cleaning it up.

The task of resisting our own oppression does not relieve us of the responsibility of acknowledging our complicity in the oppression of others.

As long as one person lives in darkness then it seems to be a responsibility to tell other people.

Teachers are directed to instruct their pupils… and to awaken in them a sense of their responsibility toward the community of the nation.

I look at my yesterdays for months past, and find them as good a lot of yesterdays as anybody might want. I sit there in the firelight and see them all.

We recognize that North Korea is in severe financial straits, and they have decided to use their resources to build their military, rather than to feed their people and to take care of the various humanitarian responsibilities that they have.

Even when we know what is right, too often we fail to act. More often we grab greedily for the day, letting tomorrow bring what it will, putting off the unpleasant and unpopular.