To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea. – James Madison
A pure democracy is a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person. – James Madison
No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. – James Madison
The essence of Government is power and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse. – James Madison
Its counterintuitive, but the most divisive arrangement is when the same party controls both Congress and the presidency, a situation encountered in eight of the past 10 years. With government unified under a single party, the minority has the least possible incentive to cooperate with the majority. – John Sununu