Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.

No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause, because his interest would certainly bias his judgment.

It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute.

[Y]ou will understand the game behind the curtain too well not to perceive the old trick of turning every contingency into a resource for accumulating force in the government.

Ecclesiastical establishments tend to great ignorance and corruption

The truth was that all men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain degree.

The effect of a representative democracy is to refine and enlarge the public views, by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens, whose wisdom may best discern the true interest of the nation.