I'd rather have newspapers and no government than government and no newspapers.

Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to God alone.

A nation, as a society, forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society.

Never [enter] into dispute or argument with another. I never yet saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument. I have seen many on their getting warm, becoming rude and shooting one another.

The persons and property of our citizens are entitled to the protection of our government in all places where they may lawfully go.

We are now vibrating between too much and too little government, and the pendulum will rest finally in the middle.

Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.