Quotes About Authority

A constitution is not a thing in name only, but in fact. It has not an ideal, but a real existence; and wherever it cannot be produced in a visible form, there is none. A constitution is a thing antecedent to a government, and a government is only the creature of a constitution. The constitution of a country is not the act of its government, but of the people constituting its government.

The government of a free country, properly speaking, is not in the persons, but in the laws.

Is the power who is jealous of our prosperity, a proper power to govern us?

In short, monarchy and succession have laid (not this or that kingdom only) but the world in blood and ashes. 'Tis a form of government which the word of God bears testimony against, and blood will attend it.

It is against the whole hell of Monarchy that I have declared war.

A government which cannot preserve the peace is no government at all...

The rich are in general slaves to fear, and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a spaniel.

Though we have been wise enough to shut and lock the door against an absolute monarchy, we at the same time have been foolish enough to put the crown in possession of the key.

HOW CAME THE KING BY A POWER WHICH THE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO TRUST, AND ALWAYS OBLIGED TO CHECK? Such a power could not be the gift of a wise people, neither can any power, WHICH NEEDS CHECKING, be from God; yet the provision, which the constitution makes, supposes such a power to exist.

HOW CAME THE KING BY A POWER WHICH THE PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO TRUST, AND ALWAYS OBLIGED TO CHECK? Such a power could not be the gift of a wise people, neither can any power, WHICH NEEDS CHECKING, be from God;

nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more than repeated petitioning

for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

it is the pride of kings which throw mankind into confusion.

Most wise men, in their private sentiments, have ever treated hereditary right with contempt; yet

as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law OUGHT to be King; and there ought to be no other. But

And a government which cannot preserve the peace is no government at all, and in that case we pay our money for nothing;

People take charge and then you find out what they wanted power for.

They were to be priest-kings in God's creation as sons of God.

The Lord's sovereignty over Israel is not an abstract concept. He speaks to the will of Israel, summoning its people to follow him.

he who feeds you, controls you

What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long.

Force is the antithesis of freedom, but force must be used, if only to defend against other force.

They want to be our shepherds. But that requires us to be sheep.

The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best.