80+ Alexander Hamilton Quotes | Minimalist Quotes

The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and, however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true to fact. The people are turbulent and changing, they seldom judge or determine right.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Believe Change Determination God Judgement People Right True Voice
Here, sir, the people govern; here they act by their immediate representatives.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Act Government People
Dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people than under the forbidden appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of government.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Ambition Appearance Danger Government People Right
Vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Government Liberty Security
There are seasons in every country when noise and impudence pass current for worth; and in popular commotions especially, the clamors of interested and factious men are often mistaken for patriotism.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Man Mistake Nation Patriot Season Worth
Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of man will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Government Justice Man Passion Reason
You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Affection Care Yourself
Give all the power to the many, they will oppress the few. Give all the power to the few, they will oppress the many.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Oppression Power
I always feel how necessary you are to me. But when you are absent, I become still more sensible of it and look around in vain for that satisfaction which you alone can bestow.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Alone Feeling Myself Necessary Satisfaction
Unless your government is respectable, foreigners will invade your rights; and to maintain tranquillity, it must be respectable – even to observe neutrality, you must have a strong government.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Government Respect Right Strong Yourself
Men are reasoning rather than reasonable animals.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Animal Man Reason
Who talks most about freedom and equality? Is it not those who hold the bill of rights in one hand and a whip for affrighted slaves in the other?
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Equality Freedom Slave
Let us recollect that peace or war will not always be left to our option; that however moderate or unambitious we may be, we cannot count upon the moderation, or hope to extinguish the ambition of others.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Ambition Hope Peace War
Nature of war to increase the executive at the expense of the legislative authority.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Authority Nature War
In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Control Difficult Government Man
A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people, than under the forbidding appearance of zeal for the firmness and efficiency of Government.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Ambition Appearance Danger Government People Right
If men were angels, no government would be necessary.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Angel Government Man Necessary
The masses are asses.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

People Savage
I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect man.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Expectation Imperfection Man Myself Perfection
Have we not already seen enough of the fallacy and extravagance of those idle theories which have amused us with promises of an exemption from the imperfections, weaknesses and evils incident to society in every shape?
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Enough Evil Imperfection Promise Seen Weakness
A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Mistake Person
The pains taken to preserve peace include a proportional responsibility that equal pains be taken to be prepared for war.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Equality Pain Peace Preparation Responsibility War
In the general course of human nature, A power over a man’s subsistence amounts to a power over his will.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Human Man Nature Power Willing
A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Blessing Money Nation
The art of reading is to skip judiciously.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Art Reading
The government is frequently and aptly classed under two descriptions – a government of force, and a government of laws; the first is the definition of despotism- the last, of liberty.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Force Government Law Liberty
If the sword of oppression be permitted to lop off one limb without opposition, reiterated strokes will soon dismember the whole body.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON

Body Oppression

Alexander Hamilton Quotes

Famous American revolutionary leaders