Legitimate Power Quotes

• The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Religious, Government, Political

  Thomas Jefferson (1854). “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Inaugural addresses and messages. Replies to public addresses. Indian addresses. Miscellaneous: 1. Notes on Virginia; 2. Biographical sketches of distinguished men; 3. The batture of New Orleans”, p.400

  89 Copy quote

  Show source

• The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Religious, Atheist, Government

  Notes on the State of Virginia, query 17 (1781 - 1785)

  78 Copy quote

  Show source

• Force does not constitute right... obedience is due only to legitimate powers.

  Jean-Jacques Rousseau

  Philosophical, Doe, Obedience

  18 Copy quote

• The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed.

  William Henry Harrison

  President, Politician, Grants

  David A. Durfee, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, United States. President (1841-1845 : Tyler) (1970). “William Henry Harrison, 1773-1841: John Tyler, 1790-1862; chronology, documents, bibliographical aids”, Oceana Pubns

  62 Copy quote

  Show source

• The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.

  James Madison

  Government, People, Liberty

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1852). “The Federalist, on the New Constitution: Written in 1788”, p.273

  87 Copy quote

  Show source

• Our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Rights, Natural, Authority

  Thomas Jefferson, Richard Holland Johnston, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association of the United States “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson”

  11 Copy quote

  Show source

• The first principle of a civilized state is that power is legitimate only when it is under contract.

  Walter Lippmann

  Power, Principles, Firsts

  "The Essential Lippmann: A Political Philosophy for Liberal Democracy".

  9 Copy quote

  Show source

• It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Life, God, Religious

  Notes on the State of Virginia, query 17 (1781 - 1785)

  47 Copy quote

  Show source

• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

  James Madison

  Exercise, Secular Society, Law

  Virginia. General Assembly. House of Delegates, J. W. Randolph, James Madison (1850). “The Virginia Report of 1799-1800: Touching the Alien and Sedition Laws; Together with the Virginia Resolutions of December 21, 1798, Including the Debate and Proceedings Thereon in the House of Delegates of Virginia and Other Documents Illustrative of the Report and Resolutions”, p.136

  69 Copy quote

  Show source

• If any female feels she need anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.

  Bell Hooks

  Self, Agency, Giving

  46 Copy quote

• [O]ur rules can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Rights, Religion, Natural

  6 Copy quote

• The error seems not sufficiently eradicated, that the operations of the mind, as well as the acts of the body, are subject to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Government, Law, Errors

  Thomas Jefferson, Richard Holland Johnston, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association of the United States “The Writings of Thomas Jefferson”

  16 Copy quote

  Show source

• Respect for sovereignty means to not allow unconstitutional action and coup d'états, the removal of legitimate power.

  Vladimir Putin

  Mean, Action, Sovereignty

  Source: www.cbsnews.com

  29 Copy quote

  Show source

• Once the Afghan people vote and they choose their President with direct, secret ballot from all over the country, there will be a lot of difference in this country and a lot of legitimate power to flow with implementation.

  Hamid Karzai

  Country, Differences, People

  "Afganistan's Hamid Karzai". Interview with Tom Brokaw, www.nbcnews.com. December 15, 2003.

  9 Copy quote

  Show source

• Every individual man has a bias which he must obey, and...it is only as he feels and obeys this that he rightly develops and attains his legitimate power in the world. It is his magnetic needle, which points always in one direction to his proper path.... He is never happy nor strong until he finds it, keeps it.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Strong, Men, One Direction

  7 Copy quote