Ours is a government of checks and balances. The Mafia and crooked businessmen make out checks, and the politicians and other compromised officials improve their bank balances.

Totalitarianism is patriotism institutionalized.

Humor is a social lubricant that helps us get over some of the bad spots.

What I'm thinking about more and more these days is simply the importance of transparency, and Jefferson's saying that he'd rather have a free press without a government than a government without a free press.

It may not always be profitable at first for businesses to be online, but it is certainly going to be unprofitable not to be online.

The ruler who possesses methods of government does not follow the good that happens by chance but practices according to necessary principles. Law, methods, and power must be employed for government: these constitute its 'necessary principles.'

A ruler of men faces two possible misfortunes: if he employs the worthy, the ministers will use worthiness as a pretext to rob their ruler of his power, but if he promotes men recklessly, his affairs will be neglected, and he will not prevail.

A society of 'children first' is a society that nurtures smiling faces in everyone.

Anarchy is as detestable in grammar as it is in society.

Everything government touches turns to crap.

George was getting alot of independence for himself in those days. He was writing more, and wanted things to go his way - where, when we first started things basically went John and Paul's way. You know, 'cuz they were the writers.

I love the modern technology now.

I feel the older I get, the more I'm learning to handle life. Being on this quest for a long time, it's all about finding yourself.

And in a marriage you can't TRY and be married. You're married or you're not married... as far as I'm concerned.

The dangers of a concentration of all power in the general government of a confederacy so vast as ours are too obvious to be disregarded.

The media is absolutely essential to the functioning of a democracy. It's not our job to cozy up to power. We're supposed to be the check and balance on government.

In a society that tries to standardize thinking, individuality is not highly prized.

I use a lot of different words for God - infinite intelligence, primordial, perfection or universal creativity. All of these, to me, are God. And 'God' is a word, I think, that some people feel uncomfortable with, so they can use another word, you know? It's the great mystery.

Spiritual teachers and artists that have opened the eye of wisdom for the world, and visionary community builders, have influenced my work.

I acknowledge the privilege of being alive in a human body at this moment, endowed with senses, memories, emotions, thoughts, and the space of mind in its wisdom aspect.

One of these days the people of Louisiana are going to get good government - and they aren't going to like it.

The rule of law should be upheld by all political parties. They should neither advise others to break the law, nor encourage others to do so even when they strongly disagree with the legislation put forward by the government of the day.

A leader must have the courage to act against an expert's advice.

It is only when there is the supervision and critical oversight from the people that the government will be in a position to do an even better job, and employees of government departments will be the true public servants of the people.

Socialism is when government's taking care of you, you send all your money to the government, the government decides how to spend it instead of letting the people spend it and make all those decisions.

I have always been thankful that so many of our country's greatest leaders and statesmen were able to be on this earth at the same time and place to draft the Constitution.

Let the living give thanks to our honored dead who have paid the ultimate sacrifice that the Constitution of the United States remains our guiding light.

A Supreme Court justice needs to understand that he is not a politician. He needs to understand that the judiciary is a passive branch of government. His decisions should not proactively seek to set policy.

Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees. And both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.

Public policy in the twentieth century was about protecting and expanding the social compact, based on recognition that effective government at the federal level provides rules and services and safety measures that contribute to a better society.

The American Revolution and Declaration of Independence, it has often been argued, were fueled by the most radical of all American political ideas.

The lowest form of popular culture - lack of information, misinformation, disinformation, and a contempt for the truth or the reality of most people's lives - has overrun real journalism. Today, ordinary Americans are being stuffed with garbage.

I think all good reporting is the same thing - the best attainable version of the truth.

The entertainment industry is vast and is a reflection of the society we live in.

We coin concepts and we use them to analyse and explain nature and society. But we seem to forget, midway, that these concepts are our own constructs and start equating them with reality.

After the 9/11 incidents, Islam has become a big question mark among westerners, especially Americans. The mass media constantly raise the issue of relationship between Islam and terrorism.

Watching people just look out for themselves, I think, is extremely interesting. It goes right back to something like 'The Beggar's Opera' - the underbelly of society, how it operates, and how that reflects their so-called betters.

I know virtually no one of my age who can remember a hug, or a smile from their father, or a 'Let's go play football.'

Society is better off without certain people.

Football has an important role to play in society. Players should have a sense of social responsibility, have a moral dimension to them which shows up in good conduct.

Leadership must be likeable, affable, cordial, and above all emotional. The fashion of authoritarian leadership is gone. Football is about life. You can't be angry all day.

The human imagination has already come to conceive the possibility of recreating human society.

You seek help from the elders. A society with elders is healthy. It's not always that way in the West.

I bear solemn witness to the fact that NATO heads of state and of government meet only to go through the tedious motions of reading speeches, drafted by others, with the principal objective of not rocking the boat.

Luck, that's when preparation and opportunity meet.

Canada will be a strong country when Canadians of all provinces feel at home in all parts of the country, and when they feel that all Canada belongs to them.

While there's always plenty of room for improvement, our government is actually quite effective and efficient. Our military and judicial systems and national parks are the best in the world. Unlike in countries where government corruption is rampant, I've never once been solicited for a bribe.

The American citizen must be made aware that today a relatively small group of people is proclaiming its purposes to be the will of the People. That elitist approach to government must be repudiated.

Bad politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote.

If the Chinese will not learn the true principles of government, all else will be useless. Knowledge is power, and although a country may be weak, still, if it possess but a modicum of knowledge, the enemy will not be able to completely overthrow it; although that country may be in danger, the race will not be extirpated.