“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
Thomas Jefferson (Declaration of Independence)
ConsentDemocracy
Government Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · GOVERNMENT
Government Quotes
Read the best government quotes on democracy, law, leadership and liberty from Madison, Jefferson, Mencius, Kautilya, Gandhi, Ambedkar, Plato and more.
“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.”
James Madison
Checks And BalancesPower
“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson
Good GovernmentPurpose
“Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Winston Churchill
DemocracyFunny
“The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the lightest.”
Mencius
PeopleLeadership
“In the happiness of his subjects lies the king's happiness; in their welfare his welfare. Whatever pleases himself he shall not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subjects he shall consider as good.”
Kautilya (Arthashastra)
Public WelfareLeadership
“He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.”
Confucius
VirtueLeadership
“When the work of the best rulers is done, the people all say, 'We are as we are, of ourselves!'”
Lao Tzu
LeadershipHumility
“Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.”
Alexander Hamilton
Human NatureLaw
“Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness.”
Thomas Paine
SocietyHuman Nature
“There is no liberty if the judiciary power be not separated from the legislative and executive.”
Montesquieu
Separation Of PowersLiberty
“The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom.”
John Locke
LawFreedom
“A government of laws, and not of men.”
John Adams
Rule Of LawShort Quotes
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
Benjamin Franklin
RepublicResponsibility
“The basis of our political systems is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government.”
George Washington
ConstitutionPeople
“Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all.”
George Washington
PeaceForeign Policy
“The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities.”
Abraham Lincoln
Role Of GovernmentCommunity
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
Thomas Jefferson
EducationDemocracy
“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
James Madison
KnowledgeSelf Government
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself.”
John Adams
DemocracyWarning
“The less government we have, the better.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Limited GovernmentShort Quotes
“The State is the great fictitious entity by which everyone seeks to live at the expense of everyone else.”
Frederic Bastiat
The StateEconomics
“Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants.”
Edmund Burke
PurposeWisdom
“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”
Theodore Roosevelt
VeteransFairness
“The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within.”
Mahatma Gandhi
DemocracyInner Change
Related Topics
About Government Quotes
How should people be governed? It's one of the oldest questions humans have asked. Kings, philosophers, revolutionaries and constitution-makers have all tried to answer it, and their ideas about power, law, liberty and the rights of the people still shape the world we live in today.
This collection brings together 200 of the best government quotes from thinkers across history and cultures, including James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Mencius, Kautilya, Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Plato and Thiruvalluvar. They cover many viewpoints, from those who want more government to those who want less, so you can explore the debate for yourself. For related reading, see our [Freedom Quotes](/topics/freedom-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Government quotes.
What is the most famous quote about government?
One of the best known comes from the Declaration of Independence: governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." Churchill's line that democracy is the worst form of government "except for all those other forms" is also widely quoted.
What did James Madison say about government?
Madison wrote that a government must first be able to control the governed, and then be obliged "to control itself." This idea is the basis of checks and balances.
What did Mencius say about rulers and the people?
Mencius taught that the people are the most important part of a nation and that "the sovereign is the lightest," meaning rulers exist to serve the people.
What did Kautilya say about good government?
In the Arthashastra, Kautilya wrote that a king's happiness lies in the happiness of his subjects, and that he should value what pleases his people, not what pleases himself.
What did Gandhi and Ambedkar say about democracy?
Gandhi said the spirit of democracy "cannot be imposed from without." Ambedkar described democracy as "primarily a mode of associated living," not just a form of government.
What are good short quotes about government?
Try "A government of laws, and not of men," "A republic, if you can keep it," "The less government we have, the better," or "All men are my children."