Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
The paradox of courage is that a man must be a little careless of his life even in order to keep it.
A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.
He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.
Fear is the foundation of most governments.
For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.
Capital is dead labor, which, vampire-like, lives only by sucking living labor, and lives the more, the more labor it sucks.
It has been said that Democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.
Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.
In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
As government expands, liberty contracts.
The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.
When a hundred men stand together, each of them loses his mind and gets another one.
We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be free.
The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.
Opportunities multiply as they are seized.
Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.
I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
I am not an Athenian nor a Greek, but a citizen of the world.
Appearances matter and remember to smile.