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To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.

James Madison

Americans have the right and advantage of being armed – unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
JAMES MADISON

Advantage Arm Being Citizen Country Government People Right Trust
A man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them.
JAMES MADISON

Communication Free Man Opinion Property
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 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
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
It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.
JAMES MADISON

Charge Danger Home Liberty Loss Provision Rank Truth Universal
Whenever a youth is ascertained to possess talents meriting an education which his parents cannot afford, he should be carried forward at the public expense.
JAMES MADISON

Ascertain Education Expense Forward Meet Posses Public Talent Youth
What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?
JAMES MADISON

Government Human Itself Nature Reflection
The internal effects of a mutable policy poisons the blessings of liberty itself.
JAMES MADISON

Bless Effect Internal Itself Liberty Mutable Policy
No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.
JAMES MADISON

Continual Freedom Midst National Preserve Warfare
Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done.
JAMES MADISON

Done Generally Interest Power Wrong
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
America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity.
JAMES MADISON

Country Immigration Indelible Prosperity Settlement
The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
JAMES MADISON

Advantage Arm Being Constitution Country Every People Possess Preserve
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 the press alone, chequered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been gained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.
JAMES MADISON

Abuse Alone Chequered Press
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
The class of citizens who provide at once their own food and their own raiment, may be viewed as the most truly independent and happy.
JAMES MADISON

Citizen Class Food Independent Mostly Own Provide Raiment True View
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
And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.
JAMES MADISON

Done Doubt Every Example Less Mix New Past Religion Succeed Together
Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
JAMES MADISON

Forever Govern Governor Knowledge Mean Own People Power Themselves
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
We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.
JAMES MADISON

Alarm Experiment First Liberty Right
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
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
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

To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.

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To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.

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