The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil.
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[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 MonroeWhile we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace, to profess, and to observe, the Religion which we believe to be of divine origin, we cannot deny an equal freedom to them whose minds have not yielded to the evidence which has convinced us.
James Monroe