The selfish spirit of commerce, which knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain.

Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.

The whole body of the nation is the sovereign legislative, judiciary, and executive power for itself. The inconvenience of meeting to exercise these powers in person, and their inaptitude to exercise them, induce them to appoint special organs to declare their legislative will, to judge and to execute it. It is the will of the nation which makes the law obligatory.

We are here lounging our time away, doing nothing, and having nothing to do. It gives me great regret to be passing my time so uselessly when it could have been so importantly employed at home.

To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical; . . . even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor whose morals he would make his pattern. . . .

For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.

I have always said that a studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands.