James Madison

"Armies in the field and navies at sea are the chief support of the public liberty."

"No nation can long survive without virtue in its public councils."

"The true distinction between free and despotic governments consists in this."

"It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties."

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

"The mind ought sometimes to be amused, that it may the better return to thinking."

"The true test of civilization is the kind of man the country turns out."

"Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty."

"No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause."

"The states are parties to the constitutional compact."

"Universal education ought to precede all deliberation."

"The definition of a republic is a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people."

"Religious liberty is a characteristic of our country."

"It is a principle incorporated into the settled doctrine of American jurisprudence that the constitution is a law for rulers and people alike."

"The purpose of separation of powers is not to avoid action but to prevent the vesting of unaccountable power."

"In republics, the great danger is that the majority may oppress the minority."

"The faculties of the mind itself have a finite measure."

"The advancement of the arts and sciences depends on cultivating the human mind."

"Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government."

"The stability of possession, its accession by labor, and its transfer by consent are the three laws of justice and property."

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

"Measure of virtue is essential to the preservation of free government."

"All history informs us there has been in every state and kingdom a constant struggle between authority and liberty."

"A sincere and steadfast friend is worth a thousand relatives."

"The essence of republican government is the capacity of the people to govern themselves."

"Happily for the states, they enjoy the advantage of being able to appeal to the sense of the people."

"The principle of representation was unknown in the ancient world."

"A people who are possessed of the spirit of commerce are generally honest and punctual in their dealings."

"The preservation of liberty requires the constant vigilance of the people."

"The public good depends upon the private virtue of the citizenry."