It is the nature and intention of a constitution to prevent governing by party, by establishing a common principle that shall limit and control the power and impulse of party, and that says to all parties, thus far shalt thou go and no further. But in the absence of a constitution, men look entirely to party; and instead of principle governing party, party governs principle.

It is never to be expected in a revolution that every man is to change his opinion at the same moment. There never yet was any truth or any principle so irresi…

An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his ow…

The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery, for sl…

Things must be done by parties, not by persons using parties as tools.

In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the gove…

Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.