There is simply no comparison between a man who is armed and one who is not. It is simply unreasonable to expect that an armed man should obey one who is unarmed, or that an unarmed man should remain safe and secure when his servants are armed.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

Men are of three different capacities: one understands intuitively; another understands so far as it is explained; and a third understands neither of himself nor by explanation. The first is excellent, the second, commendable, and the third, altogether useless.

One arises from a low to a high station more often by using fraud instead of force.

The end of the republic is to enervate and to weaken all other bodies so as to increase its own body.

We must distinguish between those who depend on others, that is between those who to achieve their purposes can force the issue and those who must use persuasion. In the second case, they always come to grief, having achieved nothing; when, however, they depend on their own resources and can force the issue, then they are seldom endangered.

In conclusion, the arms of others either fall from your back, or they weigh you down, or they bind you fast.