“To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race.”

We demand entire freedom of action and then expect the government in some miraculous way to save us from the consequences of our own acts. Self-government means self-reliance.

Man everywhere has an unconquerable desire to be the master of his own destiny.

It is difficult for men in high office to avoid the malady of self-delusion. They are always surrounded by worshipers. They are constantly, and for the most part sincerely, assured of their greatness.

Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.

I want taxes to be less, that the people may have more.

If the people fail to vote, a government will be developed which is not their government. The whole system of American Government rests on the ballot box. Unless citizens perform their duties there, such a system of government is doomed to failure.

They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.

The property of the people belongs to the people. To take it from them by taxation cannot be justified except by urgent public necessity. Unless this principle be recognized our country is no longer secure, our people no longer free.

Industry, thrift and self-control are not sought because they create wealth, but because they create character.

Silence can never be misquoted.

We want wealth, but there are many other things we want very much more. Among them are peace, honor, charity, and idealism.

We are too solicitous for government intervention, on the theory, first, that the people themselves are helpless, and second, that the Government has superior capacity for action. Often times both of these conclusions are wrong.

A government which lays taxes on the people not required by urgent public necessity and sound public policy is not a protector of liberty, but an instrument of tyranny. It condemns the citizen to servitude.

I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can’t be done. I deem that the very best time to make the effort.

What men owe to the love and help of good women can never be told.

You can display no greater wisdom than by resisting proposals for needless legislation. It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.

Every human being must be viewed according to what it is good for. For not one of us, no, not one, is perfect. And were we to love none who had imperfection, this world would be a desert for our love.

I think the human race doesn’t have a future if we don’t go into space. We need to expand our horizons beyond planet Earth if we are to have a long-term future.

If you’re in the luckiest one percent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 percent.

I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.

We all have a thirst for wonder. It’s a deeply human quality. Science and religion are both bound up with it.

Dogs never bite me. Just humans.

There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see.

Love is the human family’s most precious legacy. Its richest bequest. Its golden inheritance.