James Madison Quotes

A collection of quotes by James Madison.

James Madison was an influential American statesman and the fourth President of the United States. He was born on March 16, 1751, in Port Conway, Virginia. A highly educated man, Madison studied at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and graduated in 1771. Initially, Madison pursued a career in law and served in the Virginia legislature.

Madison played a pivotal role in the formation of the United States. He was a key architect of the U.S. Constitution and co-authored the Federalist Papers, which advocated for the adoption of the Constitution. Madison's efforts at the Constitutional Convention earned him the title of "Father of the Constitution."

As President, Madison's leadership was tested during the War of 1812 against Britain. Despite initial setbacks, he successfully guided the nation through the conflict and secured victories such as the Battle of New Orleans. Madison is also remembered for his commitment to religious freedom and his strong support for the Bill of Rights.

After serving two terms as President, Madison retired to his estate, Montpelier, in Virginia. There, he continued to stay involved in politics, advocating for the preservation of the Constitution and serving as an important advisor to subsequent generations of leaders.

James Madison's contributions to the founding of the United States and his dedication to upholding key democratic principles have earned him a place among the most influential figures in American history. He passed away on June 28, 1836, at the age of 85.

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in t

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is

It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.

The happy Union of these States is a wonder their Constituti

The happy Union of these States is a wonder their Constitution a miracle their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.

A popular Government, without popular information, or the me

A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.

It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are

It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is to-day, can guess what it will be to-morrow.

I think it absolutely necessary that the President should ha

I think it absolutely necessary that the President should have the power of removing his subordinates from office; it will make him, in a peculiar manner, responsible for their conduct, and subject him to impeachment himself, if he suffers them to perpetrate with impunity high crimes or misdemeanors against the United States, or neglects to superintend their conduct, so as to check their excesses.

If men were angels, no government would be necessary.

If men were angels, no government would be necessary.

Government

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are m

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.

Men

Do not separate text from historical background. If you do,

Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government.

Government

The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legi

The Constitution expressly and exclusively vests in the Legislature the power of declaring a state of war. The separation of the power of declaring war from that of conducting it is wisely contrived to exclude the danger of its being declared for the sake of its being conducted.

War

Those who are to conduct a war cannot in the nature of thing

Those who are to conduct a war cannot in the nature of things, be proper or safe judges, whether a war ought to be commenced, continued, or concluded.

War

And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as

And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.

Government

Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will

Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done.

Power

I have no doubt but that the misery of the lower classes wil

I have no doubt but that the misery of the lower classes will be found to abate whenever the Government assumes a freer aspect and the laws favor a subdivision of Property.

Government

If we are to take for the criterion of truth the majority of

If we are to take for the criterion of truth the majority of suffrages, they ought to be gotten from those philosophic and patriotic citizens who cultivate their reason.

Truth

No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continu

No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.

Freedom

When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down un

When you put your hand to the plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the row.

Smile

It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices sho

It may be a reflection on human nature that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. 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 governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.

Government

The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights

The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to an uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government.

Government