Laws ... proportionate and mild should never be dispensed with. Let mercy be the character of the law-giver, but let the judge be a mere machine.

Experience has already shown that the impeachment the Constitution has provided is not even a scarecrow.

If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest.

Is uniformity of opinion desirable? No more than that of face and stature.

An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy.

It is proof of sincerity, which I value above all things; as, between those who practice it, falsehood and malice work their efforts in vain.

Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.