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.	politics inspirational freedom-of-choice political-philosophy government	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.	misgovernment complacency corruption political-philosophy decline	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.	national-debt fiscal-policy 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.	human-rights leadership accountability beloved-community civic-responsibility civic-virtue civil-disobedience communities democratic-process discourse-on-democracy discourse-on-freedom editorials-on-democracy leadership-characteristics leadership-theory political-art political-chaos political-ethics political-poets political-posters political-rights practicing-democracy right-to-vote sustainable-living teaching-democracy political-commentary gun-laws civic-duty gun-violence presidential-election discourse-on-a-better-world police-culture postered-poetics-by-aberjhani political-theory peace-on-earth emigrants national-history-day police-reform voting immigration political-philosophy peace democracy	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.	courage politics fear hope famous-quotes choosing civic-duty democratic-national-convention gun-violence making-choices mitt-romney political-awareness political-responsibility presidential-election presidential-election-campaign republican-national-convention savannah-author-aberjhani social-responsibility vision-of-america quotes-by-aberjhani political-advocacy options the-future social-awareness legacies barack-obama police-reform police-shootings voting xenophobia political-philosophy patriotism	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...	sex wealth slavery freedom reason life love philosophy causality individual-rights objective-law volition pursuit-of-happiness commerce jobs usa economy rock-and-roll crisis economics law regulation force liberty society political-philosophy constitution government atheism capitalism tyranny trade drugs	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.	prejudice war compassion humanity fear trust charter-for-compassion compassion-action-network cultural-differences cultural-diversity global-community military-conflict opportunity-quotes polarization slpendid-literarium stop-killing-each-other waging-peace peacism antiracism terrorists militarization assumptions compassion-heals-lives nonviolent-conflict-resolution police-reform police-shootings nonviolence overcoming-fear terrorism xenophobia uncertainty political-philosophy panic desperation	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 religion political-philosophy political-science	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
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.	race-and-racism-in-america political-philosophy culture	Ta-Nehisi Coates
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.	violence history politics ideologue progressives revolt rule political-philosophy government revolution power oppression	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.	politics shrewdness political-philosophy strategy	Niccolò Machiavelli
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.	socialism work political-philosophy	Erich Fromm
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.	racism leadership african-american-men black-leadership black-liberation-movement black-middle-class black-prophets black-revolutionaries careerists conscientious-objection freedom-fighters industrial-prison-complex mass-incarceration political-advocacy political-prisoners prison-reform martyrs african-americans malcolm-x black-history-month racial-discrimination warriors political-philosophy	Cornel West
929c2bf	There are three basic flavours of incentive: economic, social and moral.	political-philosophy	Steven D. Levitt
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...	life-and-living does-it-make-a-sound george-lakeoff humor-irony-death-zombie life-interpreting political-interpreting relationship-interpreting humor-inspirational political-philosophy political-science	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.	politics philosophy political-philosophy	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.	politics anarchist anarchism political-philosophy	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.

politics inspirational freedom-of-choice political-philosophy government

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.

misgovernment complacency corruption political-philosophy decline

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.

national-debt fiscal-policy 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.

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

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.

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

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...

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

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.

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

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 religion political-philosophy political-science

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

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.

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

Ta-Nehisi Coates

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.

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

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.

politics shrewdness political-philosophy strategy

Niccolò Machiavelli

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.

socialism work political-philosophy

Erich Fromm

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.

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

Cornel West

929c2bf

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

political-philosophy

Steven D. Levitt

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...

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

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.

politics philosophy political-philosophy

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.

politics anarchist anarchism political-philosophy

David Graeber