Explore Quotes by James Bovard

Well, one of the first things is to restore the rule of law, to place the government back under the cage of law. Another thing is to stop falling for the myth of democracy.

A democratic government that respects no limits on its power is a ticking time bomb, waiting to destroy the rights it was created to protect.

As soon as people drop the reins on government, government will leash the people.

Democracy is not freedom. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to eat for lunch. Freedom comes from the recognition of certain rights which may not be taken, not even by a 99% vote. Those rights are spelled out in the Bill of Rights and in our California Constitution. Voters and politicians alike would do well to take a look at the rights we each hold, which must never be chipped away by the whim of the majority.

It is absurd to expect governments to descend gradually, step-by-step into barbarism - as if there was a train schedule to political hell and people could get off at any stop along the way.

It is hard to know how many people do, but given that the people are so docile towards the rulers, nowadays, very few Americans show the passion for freedom that our forefathers had.

There is no safe political refuge for those afraid to take responsibility for their own lives.

There is no virtue in denying the law of gravity, and there should be no virtue in denying the limitations of government. ... The more we glorify government, the more liberties we will lose.

The more expansive government is, the more perils people face in daily lives, be it from IRS agents or from child support services, or from other agencies that often have little or no legal restraints on their power.

I was amazed at how easy it was for the Clinton Administration to basically cover what they did at Waco in the fog of lies and avoid any responsibility for it.

Voting is no substitute for the eternal vigilance that every friend of freedom must demonstrate towards government. If our freedom is to survive, Americans must become far better informed of the dangers from Washington -- regardless of who wins the Presidency.

It is amazing to think after all that has happened in this country in the last few years, the last few decades, that so many people have this blind faith that government is our friend and therefore, we don’t need protections against it.

It has been surprising to me that so few conservatives have voiced concern over the precedence that are being set in favor of suppression by this so-called conservative administration.

Liberty is a political firewall that limits the damage government can do to the individual.

We are asking the wrong question. The issue is not who should be trusted with all the power of the Presidency. Instead, we must ask how much power any candidate can be trusted with.

Entire generations of Americans have come of age since the ancient time when the president's power was constrained by a duty of candor to the American people.

Once freedom is equated with a certain material standard of living, confiscation becomes the path to liberation.

It is one of the great tragedies of the US, that most learn most of what they know about the government from the government.

If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd in chief.

For the average person walking down a dark street late at night, a promise from a politician is worth far less than a .38 Special.

If an election is simply a one-day snapshot of transient mass delusions, then this is not a very noble form of government.