Government as well as religion has furnished its schisms, its persecutions and its devices for fattening idleness on the earnings of the people.

...is the spirit of the people an infallible, a permanent reliance? ...the spirit of the times may alter, will alter. Our rulers will become corrupt, our people careless.

We exist, and are quoted, as standing proofs that a government, so modeled as to rest continually on the will of the whole society, is a practicable government.

Anarchy [is] necessarily consequent to inefficiency.

The right of self-government does not comprehend the government of others.

The excellence of every government is its adaptation to the state of those to be governed by it.

It will be said that great societies cannot exist without government.

The only orthodox object of the institution of government is to secure the greatest degree of happiness possible to the general mass of those associated under it.

The first object of human association [is] the full improvement of their condition.