It Is Harder To Preserve Than To

In Looking Back, I See Nothing To Regret, And Little To Correct.

The Object Of A Constitution Is To Restrain The Government, As That Of Laws Is To Restrain Individuals.

Government Has No Right To Control Individual Liberty Beyond What Is Necessary To The Safety And Well-being Of Society. Such Is The Boundary Which Separates The Power Of The Government And The Liberty Of The Citizen Or Subject In The Political State.

Irresponsible Power Is Inconsistent With Liberty, And Must Corrupt Those Who Exercise It.

Of All Earthly Blessings, I Place Liberty In The First Rank, And Of Course, Consider The Obligation To Defend And Preserve It, As The Most Sacred Of All Our Civil And Social Duties... It Is Not In The Power Of Any Single, Or Few Individuals To Preserve Liberty. It Can Only Be Effected By The People Themselves; By Their Intelligence, Virtue, Courage, And Patriotism.