Zephyr Teachout Quotes

When you give the government an inch, they take a mile.

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

By ensuring that no one in government has too much power, the Constitution helps protect ordinary Americans every day against abuse of power by those in authority.

I suppose this [Watergate] is an example of the dangers of letting down your guard against increased executive powers–no matter what the circumstances. Not that the danger was not real, but in this case the risk of the remedy was as great as the disease. There was a willingness to accept without challenge the Executive's claim to increased power. That's why we acted as we did, and it was a mistake.

Power intoxicates men …. The Supreme Court must be curbed.

Frequent elections by the people furnish the only protection, under the constitution, against the abuse of acknowledged legislative power.

Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust. Whether our Constitution has hit on the exact degree of control necessary, is yet under experiment

Freedom rests on a rational distrust of government; government will always use its power to benefit the incumbent administration.

If public officers will infringe men's rights, they ought to pay greater damages than other men, to deter and hinder other officers from the like offences.

The tyranny of the legislature is really the danger most to be feared.... The tyranny of the executive power will come in its turn, but at a more distant period.

There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.

Wherever the real power in a government lies, there is the danger of oppression. In our Government the real power lies in the majority of the community.

Opposition will act as an outward conscience and prevent the abuse of power.

The most express declarations and reservations are necessary to protect the just rights and liberty of mankind from the silent, powerful and ever active conspiracy of those who govern.

If the national government falls into the hands of sufficiently unprincipled men, they can do terrible things before any one can stop them.

The system of checks and balances has sometimes been misused by those who are antithetical to any progress.

The government has a well-documented history of abusing its claims of national security. Given this history, federal judges should not give the executive branch the benefit of any doubt.

There was not virtue enough either in state or general government to protect an innocent, helpless people in the enjoyment of their Constitutional rights.

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.

It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part.

It is inconsistent with the principles of civil liberty, and contrary to the natural rights of the other members of the society, that any body of men therein should have authority to enlarge their own powers, prerogatives or emoluments without restraint

The functionaries of public power rarely strengthen in their dispositions to abridge it, and an unorganized call for timely amendment is not likely to prevail against an organized opposition to it

History is replete with examples of what happens when any group of authorities do not have to answer to empirical evidence but are free to define truth as they see fit. None of the examples has a happy ending.

The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty.

Those who seek always to limit the power of government are of good heart and conscience. Those who seek to expand the power of government are base tyrants.