Quotes About Authority

As already noted, Of eighty popes in a line from the thirteenth century on not one of them disapproved of the theology and apparatus of the Inquisition. On the contrary, one after another added his own cruel touches to the workings of this deadly machine.

The popes themselves were the authority behind the Inquisitions. They wielded the power of life and death even over emperors. Had any pope opposed the Inquisition, he could have stopped it during his papacy at least. Where do we read that the popes thundered anathemas against the secular authorities who imposed so many and such gruesome deaths upon their victims? Never! Civil

Play the victim card to attain power, then, once you have it, use it to shield yourself from legitimate criticism.

When you're running a bureaucracy the best way to safeguard your job is to make sure you're the only one who knows how the whole thing works. -Lord Julius

If it keeps the streets safe, people will accept it.

The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell you without takinga long hard look at it yourselves.

Maybe I shot the sheriff and the deputy.

when people stop believing in their institutions, the government often gets toppled.

The police, he knew, had already copied the

There were sixteen hundred officers on the Capitol police force to guard roughly one square mile of land. It was a ratio any other city would have killed for. Congress liked to feel safe, and it did control the purse strings. And

government leaders made decisions that would have massive impact on millions of people, all without their knowledge or consent.

You can't command men in battle if they like you

You can't command men in battle if they like you, Bob," his father had said. "They have to have equal parts fear and respect.

But a dictator doesn't need supporters, he just needs followers

Not in the press, no. It would cause more trouble than is warranted. People need to have faith in their government.

Well, that's way above my pay grade

The media can be controlled.

But a dictator doesn't need supporters, he just needs followers. And the best way to make people follow, at least in the eyes of guys like that, is to give them no choice in the matter.

There's a chromosome that goes haywire when you turn thirteen. It commands you to live in filth while withstanding all threats by parents to clean up your act.

now. But I still act like a cop sometimes.

it was botched. A traffic police officer intervened and the whole plan fell apart. But that was from low-level external sources and had nothing to do with us. Our strike will be quick and clean. And it will succeed." "And you have your team in place?

Me being arrested would

All doors opened for the leader of the free world and he strode into the White House like he owned it. Which unofficially he did. Though financed by the American taxpayers, it was really his house, his chopper, his jumbo jet. No one got to come for a visit or go for a ride if he didn't say it was okay.

was the master; humans were merely visiting.