It may be truly said of every government, as well as of that of the United States, that it has only a right to pass such laws as are necessary and proper to accomplish the objects entrusted to it. For no government has a right to do merely what it pleases
A government does not desire its powers to be strictly defined, but the subjects require the line to be drawn with increasing precision.
Any commander who fails to exceed his authority is not of much use to his subordinates.
Well, I think, by definition, all power has limits.
When the court that handpicked you to be president tells you you've overstepped your bounds, you've overstepped your bounds.
No government knows any limits to its power except the endurance of the people.
There exists a limit to the force even the most powerful may apply without destroying themselves. Judging this limit is the true artistry of government. Misuse of power is the fatal sin.
Never will I call the emperor God … Let him think it enough to bear the name of emperor. That, too, is a great name of God's giving. To call him God, is to rob him of his title. If he is not a man, emperor he cannot be.
The law always limits every power it gives.
I do not conceive that power is given to the President and Senate to dismember the empire, or to alienate any great, essential right. I do not think the whole legislative authority have this power. The exercise of the power must be consistent with the object of the delegation.
The state is the only institution entitled to apply coercion and compulsion and to inflict harm upon individuals. This tremendous power cannot be abandoned to the discretion of some men, however competent and clever they may deem themselves. It is necessary to restrict its application. This is the task of the laws.
