James Madison Quotes - Page 18

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• Commercial shackles are generally unjust, oppressive, and impolitic.

  James Madison

  Liberty, Unjust, Socialism

  James Madison, David B. Mattern (1997). “James Madison's "Advice to My Country"”, p.124, University of Virginia Press

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• 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

  Debt, Made, Latter

  James Madison (1867). “1769-1793”, p.504

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• Union of religious sentiments begets a surprising confidence.

  James Madison

  Confidence, Religious, Unions

  James Madison, Ralph Ketcham “Selected Writings of James Madison”, Hackett Publishing

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• The Alien bill proposed in the Senate is a monster that must forever disgrace its parents.

  James Madison

  Parent, Forever, Monsters

  James Madison (1906). “The Writings of James Madison: 1790-1802”

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• Congress shall have Power . . . to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Time to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

  James Madison

  Education, Art, Writing

  Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2017). “The Origin of the Nation: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and Other Amendments, Federalist Papers & Common Sense: Creating America - Landmark Documents that Shaped a New Nation”, p.508, Madison & Adams Press

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• In a society under the forms of which the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy may as truly be said to reign as in a state of nature.

  James Madison

  Stronger, Tyranny Of The Majority, May

  James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay (2016). “The Federalist Papers: The Making of the US Constitution”, p.110, Arcturus Publishing

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• Since it is impossible for the people spontaneously and universally, to move in concert towards their object; and it is therefore essential, that such changes be instituted by some informal and unauthorized propositions, made by some patriotic and respectable citizen or number of citizens.

  James Madison

  Moving, Patriotic, Numbers

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2015). “The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution”, p.196, Coventry House Publishing

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• The important distinction so well understood in America between a constitution established by the people, and unalterable by the government; and a law established by the government, and alterable by the government, seems to have been little understood and less observed in any other country. Wherever the supreme power of legislation has resided, has been supposed to reside also, a full power to change the form of government.

  James Madison

  Country, Government, Law

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1852). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in 1788”, p.247

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• It may not be easy, in every possible case, to trace the line of separation between the rights of religion and the Civil authority with such distinctness as to avoid collisions and doubts on unessential points. The tendency to unsurpastion on one side or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, will be best guarded agst. by an entire abstinence of the Gov't from interfence in any way whatsoever, beyond the necessity of preserving public order, and protecting each sect agst. trespasses on its legal rights by others.

  James Madison

  Order, Rights, Doubt

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• By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest... The latent causes of faction are sown in the nature of man.

  James Madison

  Passion, Men, Numbers

  "Federalist No. 10 (The Federalist Papers)". Essay by James Madison, November 23, 1787.

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• Where a majority are united by a common sentiment, and have an opportunity, the rights of the minor party become insecure.

  James Madison

  Party, Insecure, Opportunity

  James Madison, Ralph Ketcham “Selected Writings of James Madison”, Hackett Publishing

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• How could a readiness for war in time of peace be safely prohibited, unless we could prohibit, in like manner, the preparations and establishments of every hostile nation? The means of security can only be regulated by the means and the danger of attack. They will, in fact, be ever determined by these rules, and by no others . . . . If one nation maintains constantly a disciplined army, ready for service of ambition or revenge, it obliges the most pacific nations who may be within the reach of its enterprises to take corresponding precautions.

  James Madison

  Revenge, War, Ambition

  "Federalist No. 41. General View of the Powers Conferred by the Constitution" by James Madison, www.congress.gov.

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• There is not a more important and fundamental principle in legislation, than that the ways and means ought always to face the public engagements; that our appropriations should ever go hand in hand with our promises. To say that the United States should be answerable for twenty-five millions of dollars without knowing whether the ways and means can be provided, and without knowing whether those who are to succeed us will think with us on the subject, would be rash and unjustifiable. Sir, in my opinion, it would be hazarding the public faith in a manner contrary to every idea of prudence.

  James Madison

  Mean, Thinking, Knowing

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• The regulation of commerce, it is true, is a new power; but that seems to be an addition which few oppose and from which no apprehensions are entertained.

  James Madison

  Regulation, Commerce, Apprehension

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1842). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788”, p.216

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• We have the self-evident right to regulate our trade according to our own will and our own interest . . . . This right can be denied to no independent nation.

  James Madison

  Independent, Self, Interest

  James Madison (1865). “Letters and other writings of James Madison”, p.489

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• At first view it might seem not to square with the republican theory, to suppose either that a majority have not the right, or that a minority will have the force to subvert a government . . . . But theoretic reasoning in this, as in most other cases, must be qualified by the lessons of practice.

  James Madison

  Squares, Government, Views

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2015). “The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution”, p.216, Coventry House Publishing

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• Experience assures us, that the efficacy of the provision has been greatly over-rated; and that some more adequate defense is indispensably necessary for the more feeble, against the more powerful members of the government.

  James Madison

  Powerful, Government, Defense

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2014). “The Federalist Papers”, p.242, Courier Corporation

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• Experience has instructed us that no skill in the science of government has yet been able to discriminate and define, with sufficient certainty, its three great provinces the legislative, executive, and judiciary; or even the privileges and powers of the different legislative branches.

  James Madison

  Government, Skills, Different

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1842). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788”, p.164

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• The definition of the right of suffrage is very justly regarded as a fundamental article of republican government.

  James Madison

  Rights, Government, Fundamentals

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1852). “The Federalist, on the new constitution, written in 1788, with an appendix, containing the letters of Pacificus and Helvidius on the proclamation of neutrality of 1793, also the original articles of confederation and the constitution of the United States”, p.243

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• Security against foreign danger is one of the primitive objects of civil society. It is an avowed and essential object of the American Union.

  James Madison

  Essentials, Unions, Danger

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2016). “The Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States: The Principles of the American Government”, p.220, Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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• One nation is to another what one individual is to another; with this melancholy distinction perhaps, that the former with fewer of the benevolent emotions than the latter, are under fewer restraints also from taking undue advantage of the indiscretions of each other.

  James Madison

  Emotion, Melancholy, Individual

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, J.R. Pole (2005). “The Federalist”, p.335, Hackett Publishing

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• The members of the legislative department . . . are numerous. They are distributed and dwell among the people at large. Their connections of blood, of friendship, and of acquaintance embrace a great proportion of the most influential part of the society . . . they are more immediately the confidential guardians of their rights and liberties.

  James Madison

  Blood, Rights, People

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (2015). “The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution”, p.249, Coventry House Publishing

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• A local spirit will infallibly prevail much more in the members of Congress than a national spirit will prevail in the legislatures of the particular States.

  James Madison

  Spirit, Legislature, States

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1842). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788”, p.218

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• For the same reason that the members of the State legislatures will be unlikely to attach themselves sufficiently to national objects, the members of the federal legislature will be likely to attach themselves too much to local objects.

  James Madison

  Too Much, Reason, Members

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1842). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution, Written in the Year 1788”, p.219

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• I have appealed to our own experience for the truth of what I advance on this subject [that the legislative power is the predominant power]. Were it necessary to verify this experience by particular proofs, they might be multiplied without end. I might find a witness in every citizen who has shared in, or been attentive to, the course of public administrations.

  James Madison

  Administration, Citizens, Might

  "Federalist No. 48. These Departments Should Not Be So Far Separated as to Have No Constitutional Control Over Each Other" by James Madison, www.congress.gov. February 1, 1788.

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