A free, virtuous, and enlightened people must know full well the great principles and causes upon which their happiness depends.
James Monroe[In a republic,] it is not the people themselves who make the decisions, but the people they themselves choose to stand in their places.
James MonroeIt is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty.
James MonroeBefore any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe. And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land.
James Monroe