Monarchy hardens into despotism. Aristocracy contracts into oligarchy. Democracy expands into the supremacy of numbers.

The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.

Federalism is the best curb on democracy. [It] assigns limited powers to the central government. Thereby all power is limited. It excludes absolute power of the majority.

The most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities.

Socialism means slavery.

The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern.

Men cannot be made good by the state, but they can easily be made bad. Morality depends on liberty.

It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority.

It is easier to find people fit to govern themselves than people fit to govern others.

Feudalism made land the measure and the master of all things.

The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks.

Mostly good is enough. Mostly good produces healthy kids who know they are valued and either forget the other parts or turn them into funny stories.

I've been lucky enough to fly to space twice.

The artist makes art not to save mankind but to save himself. Every benevolent comment by an artist is a fog to cover his tracks, the bloody trail of his assault against reality and others.

A black man singing about a blond girl was potential trouble.

I'm not a big fan of young kids having Facebook. It's not something they need. It's not necessary.

But I did a lot of boxing and I was captain of an Australian surf club.

I am quite pessimistic about ever achieving interstellar travel.

But I love the hot sweat. I think overheating onstage is invigorating. It's better than being comfortable. I think being comfortable is the death of a show.

Don't live with writers. Writers are bastards.

Many say they can't get God's guidance, when they really mean they wish He would show them an easier way.