It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority.

The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.

A public man has no right to let his actions be determined by particular interests. He does the same thing as a judge who accepts a bribe. Like a judge he must consider what is right, not what is advantageous to a party or class.

By liberty I mean the assurance that every man shall be protected in doing what he believes to be his duty against the influences of authority and majorities, custom and opinion.

Those who have more power are liable to sin more; no theorem in geometry is more certain than this.

The test of liberty is the position and security of minorities.

Everybody likes to get as much power as circumstances allow, and nobody will vote for a self-denying ordinance.