Every one must act according to the dictates of his own reason, and mine tells me that civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States, and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

Creeds have been the bane of the Christian church ... made of Christendom a slaughter-house.

The best defense of democracy is an informed electorate.

History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is.

By oft repeating an untruth, men come to believe it themselves.

Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.