James Madison

"The means of defense against foreign danger have been always the instruments of tyranny at home."

"A harmonious government is better than a perfect one if the perfect one be unstable."

"The commerce among the States depends on their mutual goodwill and cooperation."

"The separation of church and state is essential to both religion and politics."

"The happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government depend upon virtue."

"In questions of power let no more be said of confidence in man but bind him down from mischief with the chains of the Constitution."

"A man ought to have the courage of his convictions but also the humility to learn from others."

"The success of our democratic experiment rests upon the character of our citizens."

"Nations which do not maintain the bonds of friendship with each other will inevitable find themselves in conflict."

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and work tirelessly to achieve them."

"The grandeur of American freedom is maintained by the vigilance of its people not the strength of its government."

"The advancement of science is the advancement of human liberty."

"A standing military force is a standing invitation to war."

"The circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money."

"Public opinion sets bounds to every government, and is the real sovereign in every free one."

"The purpose of a good government is to protect the weak from the strong."

"Education will prove the great equalizer of conditions of men."

"The mind, once enlightened, cannot willingly return to darkness."

"The true foundation of theology is to ascertain the character of God."

"Armies are the wheels of war; supplies are the sinews."

"In the free state, every man is his own legislator."

"The government of the United States has received a political death blow."

"Learned institutions ought to be favorite objects with every free people."

"The equal rights of man and the happiness of every individual are now acknowledged by all."

"Wherever the real power in a Government lies, there is the danger of oppression."

"The capacity of the female mind for studies of the highest order cannot be doubted."

"If tyranny and oppression ever come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."

"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judicial, is the very definition of tyranny."

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."

"The memory of past evils is the only safeguard against their recurrence."