Rand Paul Quotes

I wanted to prevent people from giving them too much power. I see that as a pattern. I wanted that to come to an end as soon as possible.

The people who get the ability to use force have to be watched carefully by civilians to make sure they don't use it excessively.

The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted.

Absolute power should never be trusted to man. It has perverted the wisest heads, and corrupted the best hearts in the world. I should be afraid to commit my property, liberty and life to a body of angels for one whole year.

There must be no abuse of people and they did ask that the South Africa Government should give them whatever support they needed to make sure that they have a proper legal process, proper detention, no abuse of people during interrogation and all of that. And so, we agreed.

Never assume that people in positions of responsibility are behaving responsibly.

9/11 changed everything. We lose more Americans every year drowning in the bathtub than through terrorism. But terrorism has been used as a lever to frighten people, pass legislation, sound tough and coerce us into giving away our rights in pursuit of phantom problems.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers?

What is hateful is not rebellion but the despotism which induces the rebellion; what is hateful are not rebels but the men, who, having the enjoyment of power, do not discharge the duties of power; they are the men who, having the power to redress wrongs, refuse to listen to the petitioners that are sent to them; they are the men who, when they are asked for a loaf, give a stone.

No human being, man, woman, or child, may safely be entrusted to the power of another; for no human being may safely be trusted with absolute power.

He [Nico] regarded Jason, as if waiting for an attack. 'If the others found out-' 'If the others found out,' Jason said, 'You'd have that many more people to back you up, and to unleash the fury of the gods on anybody who gives you trouble.

If you can't trust a Methodist with absolute power to arrest people and not have to say why, then whom can you trust?

When you take on a TV show, you give trust to people that you really just met.

Just because you're in the driver's seat, doesn't mean you have to run people over.

You've got to give people a fair chance of saying what they believe, and then you've got to decide, "Do you believe 'em?"

A primary flaw in my psychology is that I'll give people a hundred yards' worth of rope with which to hang themselves, but once they reach that hundred-yard line, I strangle them to death with it.

Amy: "Can I come?" Doctor: "Not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes and I'll be right back." Amy: "People always say that." Doctor: "Am I people?...Do I even look like people?...Trust me, I'm the Doctor.

People who harbor strong convictions without evidence belong at the margins of our societies, not in our halls of power.

Our own distrust gives a fair pretence for the knavery of other people.

Historically, measures initially directed at foreign nationals have subsequently been extended to citizens. What happens is foreign nationals are the easiest targets and most vulnerable targets, so they're the initial targets. But government officials, once you give them a certain kind of power over individuals, they get used to it and almost inevitably seek out ways to extend it. You will see that virtually every form of repressive government measure that has been employed in the United States against citizens started out as an antialien measure and was then extended to citizens.

If the natural tendencies of mankind are so bad that it is not safe to permit people to be free, how is it that the tendencies of these organizers are always good? Do not the legislators and their appointed agents also belong to the human race? Or do they believe that they themselves are made of a finer clay than the rest of mankind?

People make events into stories. Stories give events meaning.

Tap into people's emotions. We've all been put to sleep by a speaker who just gives the facts. You must tap into people's feelings.

People really don't have to give you anything, so appreciate what people give you. And just don't let that go to your head, whatever it is they give you.

Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.