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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

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
The capacity of the female mind for studies of the highest order cannot be doubted, having been sufficiently illustrated by its works of genius, of erudition, and of science.
JAMES MADISON

Capacity Female Highest Manifest Mind Order People Study Sufficient
A pure democracy is a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person.
JAMES MADISON

Administer Assemble Citizen Consist Democracy Government Number Pure Small Society
It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.
JAMES MADISON

Amde Avail Choice Law Little Men Own
A sincere and steadfast co-operation in promoting such a reconstruction of our political system as would provide for the permanent liberty and happiness of the United States.
JAMES MADISON

Cooperation Political Promotion Reconstruction Sincere Steadfast System
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
The protection of these faculties is the first object of government.
JAMES MADISON

Faculty First Government Object Protection
Any reading not of a vicious species must be a good substitute for the amusements too apt to fill up the leisure of the labouring classes.
JAMES MADISON

Class Good Labour Leisure Read Species Substitute Vicious
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
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
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
JAMES MADISON

Ambition Counteract Made
The operations of the federal government will be most extensive and important in times of war and danger; those of the state governments, in times of peace and security.
JAMES MADISON

Danger Extensive Federal Government Important Most Operation Time War
I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.
JAMES MADISON

Abridgement Believe Encroachment Freedom Gradual Instance More People Silent
Despotism can only exist in darkness, and there are too many lights now in the political firmament to permit it to remain anywhere, as it has heretofore done, almost everywhere.
JAMES MADISON

Darkness Exist Firmament Light Many Now Political
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
A man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them.
JAMES MADISON

Communication Free Man Opinion Property

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.

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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.

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