The form of government which communicates ease, comfort, security, or, in one word, happiness, to the greatest number of persons, and in the greatest degree, is the best.

I am quite content to come home and go to Farming, be a select Man, and owe no Man any Thing but good Will. There I can get a little health and teach my Boys to be Lawyers.

The fundamental article of my political creed is that despotism, or limited sovereignty, or absolute power is the same [whether] in a majority of a popular assembly; an aristocratic council; or oligarchical junto and a single emperor - equally arbitrary, cruel, bloody and in every respect diabolical.

Human passions unbridled by morality and religion...would break the stronges cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.

Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it.

You are apprehensive of monarchy; I, of aristocracy. I would therefore have given more power to the President and less to the Senate.

The numbers of men in all ages have preferred ease, slumber, and good cheer to liberty, when they have been in competition.