Quotation by

James Madison

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

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Understanding this quote AI Analysis

Government is fundamentally about having control and authority over people. Since this control is held by humans, there is always a risk that it can be misused or exploited.

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A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take …
I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.

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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil in its worst state, an intolerable one.