Hannah Arendt on government

Man cannot be free if he does not know that he is subject to necessity, because his freedom is always won in his never wholly successful attempts to liberate himself from necessity.

The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.

In its flight from death, the craving for permanence clings to the very things sure to be lost in death.

The best government is that which governs least.

John L. O'Sullivan1813–1895Often credited to Thomas Paine

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.