political-philosophy

Link	Quote	Tags	Author
92c6b53	Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.	freedom-of-choice government inspirational political-philosophy politics	Ronald Reagan
0f49bea	Whereas it appeareth that however certain forms of government are better calculated than others to protect individuals in the free exercise of their natural rights, and are at the same time themselves better guarded against degeneracy, yet experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, ....whence it becomes expedient for promoting the publick happiness that those persons, whom nature hath endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by liberal education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens, and that they should be called to that charge without regard to wealth, birth or accidental condition of circumstance.	complacency corruption decline misgovernment political-philosophy	Thomas Jefferson
21b65a4	And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers.	fiscal-policy national-debt political-philosophy	Thomas Jefferson
d97522e	It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting.	political-philosophy	Tom Stoppard
2b23b15	Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the conditions of peace and chaos that impact the lives of those who inhabit one's beloved extended community.	accountability beloved-community civic-duty civic-responsibility civic-virtue civil-disobedience communities democracy democratic-process discourse-on-a-better-world discourse-on-democracy discourse-on-freedom editorials-on-democracy emigrants gun-laws gun-violence human-rights immigration leadership leadership-characteristics leadership-theory national-history-day peace peace-on-earth police-culture police-reform political-art political-chaos political-commentary political-ethics political-philosophy political-poets political-posters political-rights political-theory postered-poetics-by-aberjhani practicing-democracy presidential-election right-to-vote sustainable-living teaching-democracy voting	Aberjhani
98c97c2	The job facing American voters... in the days and years to come is to determine which hearts, minds and souls command those qualities best suited to unify a country rather than further divide it, to heal the wounds of a nation as opposed to aggravate its injuries, and to secure for the next generation a legacy of choices based on informed awareness rather than one of reactions based on unknowing fear.	barack-obama choosing civic-duty courage democratic-national-convention famous-quotes fear gun-violence hope legacies making-choices mitt-romney options patriotism police-reform police-shootings political-advocacy political-awareness political-philosophy political-responsibility politics presidential-election presidential-election-campaign quotes-by-aberjhani republican-national-convention savannah-author-aberjhani social-awareness social-responsibility the-future vision-of-america voting xenophobia	Aberjhani
aafd985	As soon as a Western man comes into contact with the East -- he's already confused. The West has sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. ...Basically, 'Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.' The West thinks of itself as masculine -- big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine -- weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom -- the feminine mystique. Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated -- because a woman can't think for herself. ...You expect Oriental countries to submit to your guns, and you expect Oriental women to be submissive to your men.	political-philosophy	David Henry Hwang
295a5ea	Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade...	atheism capitalism causality commerce constitution crisis drugs economics economy force freedom government individual-rights jobs law liberty life love objective-law philosophy political-philosophy pursuit-of-happiness reason regulation rock-and-roll sex slavery society trade tyranny usa volition wealth	Ayn Rand
2c42f9e	On either side of a potentially violent conflict, an opportunity exists to exercise compassion and diminish fear based on recognition of each other's humanity. Without such recognition, fear fueled by uninformed assumptions, cultural prejudice, desperation to meet basic human needs, or the panicked uncertainty of the moment explodes into violence.	antiracism assumptions charter-for-compassion compassion compassion-action-network compassion-heals-lives cultural-differences cultural-diversity desperation fear global-community humanity militarization military-conflict nonviolence nonviolent-conflict-resolution opportunity-quotes overcoming-fear panic peacism polarization police-reform police-shootings political-philosophy prejudice slpendid-literarium stop-killing-each-other terrorism terrorists trust uncertainty waging-peace war xenophobia	Aberjhani
a2c53e3	Tell me,' asked Stas, 'what is a wicked deed?' 'If anyone takes away Kali's cow,' he answered after a brief reflection, 'that then is a wicked deed.' 'Excellent!' exclaimed Stas, 'and what is a good one?' This time the answer came without any reflection: 'If Kali takes away the cow of somebody else, that is a good deed.' Stas was too young to perceive that similar views of evil and good deeds were enunciated in Europe not only by politicians but by whole nations.	good-and-evil morality political-philosophy political-science religion	Henryk Sienkiewicz
fe3fd34	Democracy is a poor system; the only thing that can be said for it is that it's eight times as good as any other method.	dry-humor political-philosophy	Robert A. Heinlein
96e36c3	As history has also shown, especially in the twentieth century, one of the first things an ideologue will do after achieving absolute power is kill.	government history ideologue oppression political-philosophy politics power progressives revolt revolution rule violence	Thomas Sowell
662ce32	Injuries, therefore, should be inflicted all at once, that their ill savour being less lasting may the less offend; whereas, benefits should be conferred little by little, that so they may be more fully relished.	political-philosophy politics shrewdness strategy	Niccolò Machiavelli
1c57427	Black people are not the descendants of kings. We are--and I say this with big pride--the progeny of slaves. If there's any majesty in our struggle, it lies not in fairy tales but in those humble origins and the great distance we've traveled since. Ditto for the dreams of a separate but noble past. Cosby's, and much of black America's, conservative analysis flattens history and smooths over the wrinkles that have characterized black America since its inception.	culture political-philosophy race-and-racism-in-america	Ta-Nehisi Coates
e9e717a	The supreme principle of socialism is that man takes precedence over things, life over property, and hence, work over capital; that power follows creation, and not possession; that man must not be governed by circumstances, but circumstances must be governed by man.	political-philosophy socialism work	Erich Fromm
929c2bf	There are three basic flavours of incentive: economic, social and moral.	political-philosophy	Steven D. Levitt
43e62d8	There are hundreds of political prisoners right now in America's jails who were so taken by Malcolm [X's} spirit that they became warriors and the powers that be understood them as warriors. They knew that a lot of these other middle-class [black] leaders were not warriors; they were professionals; they were careerists. But these warriors had callings, and they have paid an incalculable and immeasurable price in those cells.	african-american-men african-americans black-history-month black-leadership black-liberation-movement black-middle-class black-prophets black-revolutionaries careerists conscientious-objection freedom-fighters industrial-prison-complex leadership malcolm-x martyrs mass-incarceration political-advocacy political-philosophy political-prisoners prison-reform racial-discrimination racism warriors	Cornel West
d0f4851	If you believe in the eighteenth century view of the mind, you will look and act wimpy. You will think that all you need to do is give people the facts and the figures and they will reach the right conclusion. You will think that all you need to do is point out where their interests lie, and they will act politically to maximize them. You will believe in polling and focus groups: you will believe that if you ask people what their interests are, they will be aware of them and will tell you, and will vote on it. You will not have any need to appeal to emotion---indeed, to do so would be wrong! You will not have to speak of values; facts and figures will suffice. You will not have to change people's brains; their reason should be enough. You will not have to frame the facts; they will speak for themselves. You just have to get the facts to them...	does-it-make-a-sound george-lakeoff humor-inspirational humor-irony-death-zombie life-and-living life-interpreting political-interpreting political-philosophy political-science relationship-interpreting	George Lakoff
8b6996b	Terrorism has made our world an integrated community in a new and frightening way. Not merely the activities of our neighbors, but those of the inhabitants of the most remote mountain valleys of the farthest-flung countries of our planet, have become our business. We need to extend the reach of the criminal law there and to have the means to bring terrorists to justice without declaring war on an entire country in order to do it. For this we need a sound global system of criminal justice, so justice does not become the victim of national differences of opinion. We also need, though it will be far more difficult to achieve, a sense that we really are one community, that we are people who recognize not only the force of prohibitions against killing each other but also the pull of obligations to assist one another. This may not stop religious fanatics from carrying out suicide missions, but it will help to isolate them and reduce their support.	philosophy political-philosophy politics	Peter Singer
65d2778	... most Amazonians don't want to give others the power to threaten them with physical injury if they don't do as they are told. Maybe we should better be asking what it says about ourselves that we feel this attitude needs any sort of explanation.	anarchism anarchist political-philosophy politics	David Graeber

92c6b53

Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.

freedom-of-choice government inspirational political-philosophy politics

Ronald Reagan

0f49bea

Whereas it appeareth that however certain forms of government are better calculated than others to protect individuals in the free exercise of their natural rights, and are at the same time themselves better guarded against degeneracy, yet experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large, ....whence it becomes expedient for promoting the publick happiness that those persons, whom nature hath endowed with genius and virtue, should be rendered by liberal education worthy to receive, and able to guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of their fellow citizens, and that they should be called to that charge without regard to wealth, birth or accidental condition of circumstance.

complacency corruption decline misgovernment political-philosophy

Thomas Jefferson

21b65a4

And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers.

fiscal-policy national-debt political-philosophy

Thomas Jefferson

d97522e

It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting.

political-philosophy

Tom Stoppard

2b23b15

Democracy is not simply a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities. It is also holding oneself accountable to some reasonable degree for the conditions of peace and chaos that impact the lives of those who inhabit one's beloved extended community.

accountability beloved-community civic-duty civic-responsibility civic-virtue civil-disobedience communities democracy democratic-process discourse-on-a-better-world discourse-on-democracy discourse-on-freedom editorials-on-democracy emigrants gun-laws gun-violence human-rights immigration leadership leadership-characteristics leadership-theory national-history-day peace peace-on-earth police-culture police-reform political-art political-chaos political-commentary political-ethics political-philosophy political-poets political-posters political-rights political-theory postered-poetics-by-aberjhani practicing-democracy presidential-election right-to-vote sustainable-living teaching-democracy voting

Aberjhani

98c97c2

The job facing American voters... in the days and years to come is to determine which hearts, minds and souls command those qualities best suited to unify a country rather than further divide it, to heal the wounds of a nation as opposed to aggravate its injuries, and to secure for the next generation a legacy of choices based on informed awareness rather than one of reactions based on unknowing fear.

barack-obama choosing civic-duty courage democratic-national-convention famous-quotes fear gun-violence hope legacies making-choices mitt-romney options patriotism police-reform police-shootings political-advocacy political-awareness political-philosophy political-responsibility politics presidential-election presidential-election-campaign quotes-by-aberjhani republican-national-convention savannah-author-aberjhani social-awareness social-responsibility the-future vision-of-america voting xenophobia

Aberjhani

aafd985

As soon as a Western man comes into contact with the East -- he's already confused. The West has sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. ...Basically, 'Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.' The West thinks of itself as masculine -- big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine -- weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom -- the feminine mystique. Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated -- because a woman can't think for herself. ...You expect Oriental countries to submit to your guns, and you expect Oriental women to be submissive to your men.

political-philosophy

David Henry Hwang

295a5ea

Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade...

atheism capitalism causality commerce constitution crisis drugs economics economy force freedom government individual-rights jobs law liberty life love objective-law philosophy political-philosophy pursuit-of-happiness reason regulation rock-and-roll sex slavery society trade tyranny usa volition wealth

Ayn Rand

2c42f9e

On either side of a potentially violent conflict, an opportunity exists to exercise compassion and diminish fear based on recognition of each other's humanity. Without such recognition, fear fueled by uninformed assumptions, cultural prejudice, desperation to meet basic human needs, or the panicked uncertainty of the moment explodes into violence.

antiracism assumptions charter-for-compassion compassion compassion-action-network compassion-heals-lives cultural-differences cultural-diversity desperation fear global-community humanity militarization military-conflict nonviolence nonviolent-conflict-resolution opportunity-quotes overcoming-fear panic peacism polarization police-reform police-shootings political-philosophy prejudice slpendid-literarium stop-killing-each-other terrorism terrorists trust uncertainty waging-peace war xenophobia

Aberjhani

a2c53e3

Tell me,' asked Stas, 'what is a wicked deed?' 'If anyone takes away Kali's cow,' he answered after a brief reflection, 'that then is a wicked deed.' 'Excellent!' exclaimed Stas, 'and what is a good one?' This time the answer came without any reflection: 'If Kali takes away the cow of somebody else, that is a good deed.' Stas was too young to perceive that similar views of evil and good deeds were enunciated in Europe not only by politicians but by whole nations.

good-and-evil morality political-philosophy political-science religion

Henryk Sienkiewicz

fe3fd34

Democracy is a poor system; the only thing that can be said for it is that it's eight times as good as any other method.

dry-humor political-philosophy

Robert A. Heinlein

96e36c3

As history has also shown, especially in the twentieth century, one of the first things an ideologue will do after achieving absolute power is kill.

government history ideologue oppression political-philosophy politics power progressives revolt revolution rule violence

Thomas Sowell

662ce32

Injuries, therefore, should be inflicted all at once, that their ill savour being less lasting may the less offend; whereas, benefits should be conferred little by little, that so they may be more fully relished.

political-philosophy politics shrewdness strategy

Niccolò Machiavelli

1c57427

Black people are not the descendants of kings. We are--and I say this with big pride--the progeny of slaves. If there's any majesty in our struggle, it lies not in fairy tales but in those humble origins and the great distance we've traveled since. Ditto for the dreams of a separate but noble past. Cosby's, and much of black America's, conservative analysis flattens history and smooths over the wrinkles that have characterized black America since its inception.

culture political-philosophy race-and-racism-in-america

Ta-Nehisi Coates

e9e717a

The supreme principle of socialism is that man takes precedence over things, life over property, and hence, work over capital; that power follows creation, and not possession; that man must not be governed by circumstances, but circumstances must be governed by man.

political-philosophy socialism work

Erich Fromm

929c2bf

There are three basic flavours of incentive: economic, social and moral.

political-philosophy

Steven D. Levitt

43e62d8

There are hundreds of political prisoners right now in America's jails who were so taken by Malcolm [X's} spirit that they became warriors and the powers that be understood them as warriors. They knew that a lot of these other middle-class [black] leaders were not warriors; they were professionals; they were careerists. But these warriors had callings, and they have paid an incalculable and immeasurable price in those cells.

african-american-men african-americans black-history-month black-leadership black-liberation-movement black-middle-class black-prophets black-revolutionaries careerists conscientious-objection freedom-fighters industrial-prison-complex leadership malcolm-x martyrs mass-incarceration political-advocacy political-philosophy political-prisoners prison-reform racial-discrimination racism warriors

Cornel West

d0f4851

If you believe in the eighteenth century view of the mind, you will look and act wimpy. You will think that all you need to do is give people the facts and the figures and they will reach the right conclusion. You will think that all you need to do is point out where their interests lie, and they will act politically to maximize them. You will believe in polling and focus groups: you will believe that if you ask people what their interests are, they will be aware of them and will tell you, and will vote on it. You will not have any need to appeal to emotion---indeed, to do so would be wrong! You will not have to speak of values; facts and figures will suffice. You will not have to change people's brains; their reason should be enough. You will not have to frame the facts; they will speak for themselves. You just have to get the facts to them...

does-it-make-a-sound george-lakeoff humor-inspirational humor-irony-death-zombie life-and-living life-interpreting political-interpreting political-philosophy political-science relationship-interpreting

George Lakoff

8b6996b

Terrorism has made our world an integrated community in a new and frightening way. Not merely the activities of our neighbors, but those of the inhabitants of the most remote mountain valleys of the farthest-flung countries of our planet, have become our business. We need to extend the reach of the criminal law there and to have the means to bring terrorists to justice without declaring war on an entire country in order to do it. For this we need a sound global system of criminal justice, so justice does not become the victim of national differences of opinion. We also need, though it will be far more difficult to achieve, a sense that we really are one community, that we are people who recognize not only the force of prohibitions against killing each other but also the pull of obligations to assist one another. This may not stop religious fanatics from carrying out suicide missions, but it will help to isolate them and reduce their support.

philosophy political-philosophy politics

Peter Singer

65d2778

... most Amazonians don't want to give others the power to threaten them with physical injury if they don't do as they are told. Maybe we should better be asking what it says about ourselves that we feel this attitude needs any sort of explanation.

anarchism anarchist political-philosophy politics

David Graeber