Politics Quotes - Page 31

• We have retained the forms and phrases of a republic, but in reality we are living under an oligarchy, not of courtesan, but of bureaucrats.

  Frank Chodorov

  Reality, Political, Phrases

  Frank Chodorov (2007). “Income Tax: Root of All Evil”, p.47, Ludwig von Mises Institute

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• As soon as I set foot in the parliamentary Sinai, I ceased to be in touch with the masses.

  Pierre-Joseph Proudhon

  Feet, Political, Sinai

  Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (2011). “Property is Theft!: A Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Anthology”, p.19, AK Press

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• The creator's concern is the conquest of nature. The parasite's concern is the conquest of men.

  Ayn Rand

  Men, Political, Fountainhead

  Ayn Rand (2011). “Ayn Rand Novel Collection”, p.875, Penguin

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• Rulers exist entirely through the persons of others. Their goal is in their subjects, in the activity of enslaving. They are as dependent as the beggar, the social worker and the bandit. The form of dependence does not matter.

  Ayn Rand

  Goal, Political, Doe

  Ayn Rand (1999). “Ayn Rand Reader”, p.76, Penguin

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• We have entered an Orwellian era in which entitlement replaces responsibility, coercion is described as compassion, compulsory redistribution is called sharing, race quotas substitute for diversity, and suicide is prescribed as 'death with dignity.' Political discourse has become completely corrupted. The reason is that if you tell people directly that you want to raise their taxes, transfer their wealth, count them by skin color, or let doctors kill them, most will object. Statists know this and therefore are obliged to obfuscate.

  Theodore J. Forstmann

  Suicide, Responsibility, Compassion

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• The 16th Amendment corroded the American concept of natural rights; ultimately reduced the American citizen to a status of subject, so much so that he is not aware of it; enhanced Executive power to the point of reducing Congress to innocuity; and enabled the central government to bribe the states, once independent units, into subservience. No kingship in the history of the world ever exercised more power than our Presidency, or had more of the people's wealth at its disposal.

  Frank Chodorov

  Independent, Rights, Government

  Frank Chodorov (2007). “Income Tax: Root of All Evil”, p.46, Ludwig von Mises Institute

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• Government has no right to make itself a party in any debates respecting the principles or mode of forming or of changing, constitutions. It is not for the benefit of those who exercise the powers of government, that constitutions, and the governments issuing from them, are established.

  Thomas Paine

  Party, Exercise, Government

  Thomas Paine (1848). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.104

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• It is unpleasant to see character throw itself away.

  Thomas Paine

  Character, Political

  Thomas Paine (1819). “The Political and Miscellaneous Works of Thomas Paine ...”

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• The representative system of government is calculated to produce the wisest laws, by collecting wisdom where it can be found.

  Thomas Paine

  Government, Law, Political

  Thomas Paine (2015). “The Thomas Paine Collection: Common Sense, Rights of Man, Age of Reason, An Essay on Dream, Biblical Blasphemy, Examination Of The Prophecies”, p.140, Ravenio Books

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• There is existing in man, a mass of sense lying in a dormant state. The construction of government ought to be such as to bring forward, by a quiet and regular operation, all that extent of capacity.

  Thomas Paine

  Lying, Men, Political

  Thomas Paine (2016). “The Rights of Man”, p.128, Xist Publishing

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• Wisdom degenerates in governments as governments increase in age.

  Thomas Paine

  Government, Political, Age

  Thomas Paine (2015). “The Thomas Paine Collection: Common Sense, Rights of Man, Age of Reason, An Essay on Dream, Biblical Blasphemy, Examination Of The Prophecies”, p.157, Ravenio Books

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• It is not because a part of the government is elective, that makes it less a despotism, if the persons so elected, possess afterwards, as a parliament, unlimited powers. Election, in this case, becomes separated from representation, and the candidates are candidates for despotism.

  Thomas Paine

  Government, Political, Election

  Thomas Paine (1824). “The Political Writings of Thomas Paine: Secretary to the Committee of Foreign Affairs in the American Revolution : to which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Author's Life”, p.186

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• As my object was not myself, I set out with the determination, and happily with the disposition, of not being moved by praise or censure, friendship or calumny, nor of being drawn from my purpose by any personal altercation; and the man who cannot do this, is not fit for a public character.

  Thomas Paine

  Determination, Character, Men

  Thomas Paine (2016). “THE RIGHTS OF MAN: The French Revolution – Ideals, Arguments & Motives (Political Classic): Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.214, e-artnow

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• It is from the power of taxation being in the hands of those who can throw so great a part of it from their own shoulders, that it has raged without a check.

  Thomas Paine

  Hands, Political, Taxation

  Thomas Paine (1848). “Rights of Man: Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.129

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• The member of Congress who is not making a career of politics looks quite differently at the world.

  Robert Novak

  Careers, Political, Looks

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• It is tempting to believe that social evils arise from the activities of evil men and that if only good men (like ourselves, naturally) wielded power, all would be well. That view requires only emotion and self-praise - easy to come by and satisfying as well. To understand why it is that 'good' men in positions of power will produce evil, while the ordinary man without power but able to engage in voluntary cooperation with his neighbors will produce good, requires analysis and thought, subordinating emotions to the rational.

  Friedrich August von Hayek

  Believe, Men, Position Of Power

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• First they gerrymander us into one-party fiefs. Then they tell us they only care about the swing districts. Then they complain about voter apathy.

  Gail Collins

  Party, Swings, Political

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• I leave to others the sublime delights of riding in the storm, better pleased with sound sleep & a warmer berth below it encircled, with the society of neighbors, friends & fellow laborers of the earth rather than with spies & sycophants ... I have no ambition to govern men. It is a painful and thankless office.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Ambition, Sleep, Men

  Thomas Jefferson, Saul Kussiel Padover (1956). “A Jefferson profile as revealed in his letters”

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• The state itself becomes more and more identified with the interests of those who run things than with the interests of the people in general.

  Friedrich August von Hayek

  Running, People, Political

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• My reason for fixing them in office for a term of years, rather than for life, was that they might have an idea that they were at a certain period to return into the mass of the people and become the governed instead of the governors which might still keep alive that regard to the public good that otherwise they might perhaps be induced by their independence to forget.

  Thomas Jefferson

  Years, Ideas, People

  Thomas Jefferson (1977). “The Portable Thomas Jefferson”, p.277, Penguin

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• Every individual who participated in the redistricting process knew that incumbency protection was a critical factor in producing the bizarre lines. ... Many of the oddest twists and turns of the Texas districts would never have been created if the Legislature had not been so intent on protecting party and incumbents.

  John Paul Stevens

  Party, Texas, Political

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• The security intended to the general liberty consists in the frequent election and in the rotation of the members of Congress.

  James Madison

  Political, Liberty, Term Limits

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1864). “The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States”, p.116

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• There is a long and honorable tradition of citizens in service to their nation that goes back at least as far as Cincinnatus, the Roman citizen who, more than once answered his country's call, then returned to his farm and his family and his work.

  Tom Clancy

  Country, Long, Political

  Tom Clancy (2010). “Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan”, p.1394, Penguin

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• Politics and self-interest have been so uniformly connected, that the world, from being so often deceived, has a right to be suspicious of public characters.

  Thomas Paine

  Character, Self, Political

  Thomas Paine (2016). “THE RIGHTS OF MAN: The French Revolution – Ideals, Arguments & Motives (Political Classic): Being an Answer to Mr. Burke's Attack on the French Revolution”, p.213, e-artnow

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• Careerism: the self-centered philosophy of governing to win the next election above all else.

  Tom Coburn

  Philosophy, Winning, Self

  Senator Tom Coburn, John Hart (2013). “Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders”, p.19, Thomas Nelson Inc

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