Liberty ought to be the direct end of your government.
The American Revolution was the grand operation, which seemed to be assigned by the Deity to the men of this age in our country, over and above the common duties of life.
Were my soul trembling on the wing of eternity, were this hand freezing to death, were my voice choking with the last struggle, I would still, with the last gasp of that voice, implore you to remember the truth: God has given America to be free.
Suspicion is a Virtue, if in the interests of the good of the people.
If our government servants had to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act as they have forced all of American business to do, they would be in jail.
I believe a time will come when an opportunity will be offered to abolish this lamentable evil. Everything we do is to improve it, if it happens in our day; if not, let us transmit to our descendants, together with our slaves, a pity for their unhappy lot and an abhorrence of slavery.
The whole economy of this lower world proves that it is by labor and perseverance only that good is obtained and evil is avoided.
I shall act as I think my duty requires.
Oh, how wretched should I be at this moment, if I had not made my peace with God.
The militia is our ultimate safety. We can have no security without it. The great object is that every man be armed.
If you have given up your militia, and Congress shall refuse to arm them, you have lost every thing. Your existence will be precarious, because you depend on others, whose interests are not affected by your infelicity.
Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Give me liberty or give me gout?! Ok, who’s been messing with this?
I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them, and that is the Christian religion.
The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery.
The eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate, it is immutable.
It is natural to man to indulge in the illusion of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, till she transforms us into beasts.
Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.
Human nature will never part with power. Look for an example of a voluntary relinquishment of power from one end of the globe to another – you will find none.