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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

Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect.
JAMES MADISON

Body Bondage Debilitate Enterprise Every Expand Mind Nobel People Religious Shackle Unfit
The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.
JAMES MADISON

Advantage Diffusion Guardian Knowledge Liberty Only True
In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.
JAMES MADISON

Administered Control Enable First Frame Government Men Over
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
The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.
JAMES MADISON

Charter Constitution Fountain Legimitate People Power
I have no doubt but that the misery of the lower classes will be found to abate whenever the Government assumes a freer aspect and the laws favor a subdivision of Property.
JAMES MADISON

Abate Assume Class Doubt Found Government Misery
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
JAMES MADISON

Ambition Counteract Made
All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.
JAMES MADISON

Certain Degree Distrusted Men Ought Powe
The number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood, and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the state.
JAMES MADISON

Devotion Industry Mainfrstly Morality Number People Priesthood
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
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
There is no maxim, in my opinion, which is more liable to be misapplied, and which, therefore, more needs elucidation, than the current one, that the interest of the majority is the political standard of right and wrong.
JAMES MADISON

Elucidation Liable Maxim Misappled More Need Opinion Therefore
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.
JAMES MADISON

Come Country Enemy Fight Guise Land Oppression
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 should not regret a fair and full trial of the entire abolition of capital punishment.
JAMES MADISON

Abolition Capital Entire Fair Punishment Regret Trail
The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to an uniformity of interests.
JAMES MADISON

Diversity Faculty Insuperable Man Obstacle Originate Property Right

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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