The jaws of power are always open to devour, and her arm is always stretched out, if possible, to destroy the freedom of thinking, speaking, and writing.
John Adams, A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law (1765).
A gun is not an argument.
Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal (1966).
Empire may be gained by gold, not gold by empire. It used, indeed, to be a proverb that “It is not Philip, but Philip’s gold that takes the cities of Greece.”
Plutarch’s Lives: “Aemilius,” sec. 12.
Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.
Plutarch’s Lives: “Sertorius,” sec. 16.
The rights of individuals ought to be the primary object of all government, and cannot be too securely guarded by the most explicit declarations in their favor.
Mercy Otis Warren, Observations on the New Constitution (1788).
Those animals which are incapable of making covenants with one another, to the end that they may neither inflict nor suffer harm, are without either justice or injustice. And those tribes which either could not or would not form mutual covenants to the same end are in like case.
Epicurus, Principal Doctrines (Robert Drew Hicks, trans.), no. 32.
That which is not just, is not Law; and that which is not Law, ought not to be obeyed.
Algernon Sidney, Discourses Concerning Government (1689), Ch. 3, Sect. 11.
Metaphysicians and politicians may dispute forever, but they will never find any other moral principle or foundation of rule or obedience, than the consent of governors and governed.
John Adams, Novanglus; Or, A History Of The Dispute With America From Its Origin, In 1754, To The Present Time (Spring 1772).
Liars ought to have good memories.
Algernon Sidney, Discourses Concerning Government (1689).
So crucial is the online censorship regime to Western power centers that one thing is certain — any individual or company that even thinks about defying it will be severely attacked and punished, often with weapons we have long been taught to regard as despotic when used by our nation’s enemies.
Glenn Greenwald, System Update, September 25, 2023.