Government Quotes

A star for every State and a State for every star.

Laissez Faire laissez passer. Let it be let it pass. The phrase is not readily translatable. It was widely used by the Physiocrats in urging freedom from government interference and was adopted by Adam Smith.

Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first then you are a good; is the second then you are an oasis in a desert.

The best view of government is in the rearview mirror as youre driving away from it.

A PRIMER OF AMERICAN SELF-GOVERNMENT I. Understand honor and preserve the Constitution of the United States. 2. Keep forever separate and distinct the legislative executive and judicial functions of government. 3. Remember that government belongs to the people is inherently inefficient and that its activities should be limited to those which government alone can perform. 4. Be vigilant for freedom of speech freedom of worship and freedom of action. 5. Cherish the system of Free Enterprise which made America great. 6. Respect thrift and economy and beware of debt. 7. Above all let us be scrupulous in keeping our word and in respecting the rights of others.

Government cannot close its eyes to the pollution of waters to the erosion of soil to the slashing of forests any more than it can close its eyes to the need for slum clearance and schools.

They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers ... call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order.

We stand equally against government by a plutocracy and government by a mob. There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations; even a democrat like myself must admit this. But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with the money touch but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.

Man is not the sum of what he has but the totality of what he does not yet have of what he might have.

Government [is] operated by deeply embedded hopelessly entangled bureaus where nothing is accomplished because the function of the bureau is to intercept every living idea and smother it.