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The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

James Madison

By rendering the labor of one, the property of the other, they cherish pride, luxury, and vanity on one side; on the other, vice and servility, or hatred and revolt.
JAMES MADISON

Cherish Labor Luxury Other Pride Property Render Vanity
We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.
JAMES MADISON

Alarm Experiment First Liberty Right
Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done.
JAMES MADISON

Done Generally Interest Power Wrong
The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war.
JAMES MADISON

Case Decide Declare Executive Question Right War
To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.
JAMES MADISON

Form Government Happiness Liberty People Secure Suppose Virtue
All that seems indispensible in stating the account between the dead and the living, is to see that the debts against the latter do not exceed the advances made by the former.
JAMES MADISON

Account Advance Between Debt Former Indispensible Live Made State
What spectacle can be more edifying or more seasonable, than that of Liberty and Learning, each leaning on the other for their mutual and surest support?
JAMES MADISON

Edify Learn Liberty More Other Seasonable Spectacle
Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations.
JAMES MADISON

Bear Burden Each Generation Made Own War
The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.
JAMES MADISON

Constitution Happy Hope Liberty Miracle Wonder
Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other.
JAMES MADISON

All Enemy Comprise Develop Dread Liberty Most Perhaps Public
The protection of these faculties is the first object of government.
JAMES MADISON

Faculty First Government Object Protection
War contains so much folly, as well as wickedness, that much is to be hoped from the progress of reason.
JAMES MADISON

Contain Folly Hope Progress Reason Well Wickedness
I entirely concur in the propriety of resorting to the sense in which the Constitution was accepted and ratified by the nation. In that sense alone it is the legitimate Constitution.
JAMES MADISON

Proprietor Accept Concur Constitution Entire Resort Sense
If we are to take for the criterion of truth the majority of suffrages, they ought to be gotten from those philosophic and patriotic citizens who cultivate their reason.
JAMES MADISON

Criterion Gotten Majority Philosophic Suffrage Take Truth Ught
All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.
JAMES MADISON

Certain Degree Distrusted Men Ought Powe
War should only be declared by the authority of the people, whose toils and treasures are to support its burdens, instead of the government which is to reap its fruits.
JAMES MADISON

Authority Declare Fruit Government Real Support Treasure

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

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The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

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Popular Authors

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