“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
Clarence Oddbody, It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946, written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra, and Jo Swerling to a story by Philip Van Doren Stern.
“The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now you’re gonna hear about it!”
The character Frank Constanza, Seinfeld, “The Strike,” Season 9, Episode 10 (December 18, 1997), written by Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & Dan O’Keefe — “Festivus” is the made-up holiday serving as an alternative to Christmas.
“The progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a true respect for the individual.”
Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Aesthetic Papers, 1849 (republished in a variety of titles, including On the Duty of Civil Disobedience).
“By far the most important of all the conditions, under which the production of material commodities goes broadly forward, is liberty of action on the part of the individual; because, wherever such liberty is conceded, association and invention and all other needful conditions follow right along by laws of natural sequence.”
Arthur Latham Perry, Principles of Political Economy, 1891.
“The right of property is the guardian of every other right, and to deprive the people of this, is in fact to deprive them of their liberty.”
Arthur Lee, brother of Richard Henry, Francis Lightfoot and William Lee.
Contrary to a common conception in the premises, the sacred books of both Jews and Christians display no bias at all against buying and selling, but rather extol such action as praiseworthy, and also those qualities of mind and habits of life that lead up to it and tend too to increase its amount, and they constantly illustrate by means of language derived from traffic the higher truths and more spiritual life, which are the main object of these inspired writers.
Arthur Latham Perry, Principles of Political Economy, 1891.
“If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations.”
Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Aesthetic Papers, 1849 (republished in a variety of titles, including On the Duty of Civil Disobedience).
“No government is wise enough, or ever will be, to say how much of the results of my labor I shall contribute to my neighbor to remunerate his labor.
“Congress has nothing to say about that. Congress is bound to give us both the benefit of equal laws, and then to leave us both to take care of ourselves. It is no part of the duty of Congress to see that any set of men whatever are making money.”
Arthur Latham Perry, Elements of Political Economy, 1865.
“I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.”
Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government,” Aesthetic Papers, 1849 (republished in a variety of titles, including On the Duty of Civil Disobedience).
“I would never have drawn my sword in the cause of America, if I could have conceived that thereby I was founding a land of slavery.”
Lafayette, as quoted in a letter by Thomas Clarkson (October 3, 1845), published in The Liberty Bell (1846), p. 64.