I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.
James MadisonRead
What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that government is a mirror of human behavior and characteristics.
James Madison argues that government is not just an institution but a reflection of the fundamental traits of humanity. It embodies our virtues, flaws, and societal dynamics, indicating how our collective nature shapes the structures we create for governance.
Themes
GovernmentHuman NatureSocietyReflectionPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a political science class discussion about the nature of government.
More from James Madison
All quotes βNo man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause; because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. With equal, nay with greater reason, a body of men are unfit to be both judges and parties at the same time.
James MadisonRead
I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations; but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority, have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have, more frequently than any other cause, produced despotism.
James MadisonRead
The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated.
James MadisonRead
Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
James MadisonRead
The magnitude of this evil among us is so deeply felt, and so universally acknowledged, that no merit could be greater than that of devising a satisfactory remedy for it.
James MadisonRead
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Hypocrisy is wretched because the hypocrite says with his tongue what is not in his heart. He wrongs his tongue and oppresses his heart. But if the heart is sound, the condition of the tongue follows suit. We are commanded to be upright in speech, which is a gauge of the heart's state.
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Adam hid in the Garden of Eden. Moses tried to substitute his brother. Jonah jumped a boat and was swallowed by a whale...Man likes to run from God. It's a tradition.
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Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.
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I realized it for the first time in my life: there is nothing but mystery in the world, how it hides behind the fabric of our poor, browbeat days, shining brightly, and we don't even know it.
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