Our political institutions work remarkably well. They are designed to clang against each other. The noise is democracy at work.

Our political institutions work remarkably well. They are designed to clang against each other. The noise is democracy at work.

Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far read more

Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.

Every country has the government it deserves.

Every country has the government it deserves.

I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work read more

I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work it.

So then because some towns in England are not represented,
America is to have no representative at all. They read more

So then because some towns in England are not represented,
America is to have no representative at all. They are "our
children"; but when children ask for bread we are not to give a
stone.

"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our read more

"The liberties of our country, the freedoms of our civil Constitution are worth defending at all hazards; it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors. They purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring a mark of everlasting infamy on the present generation – enlightened as it is – if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of designing men." -Samuel Adams

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. Men have a right that these wants should read more

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. Men have a right that these wants should be provided for by this wisdom.

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one read more

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those others that have been tried from time to time.

Government is an unnecessary evil. Human beings, when accustomed to taking responsibility for their own behavior, can cooperate on a read more

Government is an unnecessary evil. Human beings, when accustomed to taking responsibility for their own behavior, can cooperate on a basis of mutual trust and helpfulness.