The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.

It is necessary from the very nature of things that power should be a check to power.

The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded.

We receive three educations, one from our parents, one from our school-masters, and one from the world. The third contradicts all that the first two teach us.

There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.

Every man who has power is impelled to abuse it.

In the state of nature... all men are born equal, but they cannot continue in this equality. Society makes them lose it, and they recover it only by the protection of the law.

A nation may lose its liberties in a day and not miss them in a century.

For a country, everything will be lost when the jobs of an economist and a banker become highly respected professions.

Liberty... is there only when there is no abuse of power.

Knowledge humanizes mankind, and reason inclines to mildness; but prejudices eradicate every tender disposition.

When I connect with the animals around me, I connect with their soul. I believe where there is a soul, there is a journey and a purpose.

Whatever happens, love that.

The people who are successful are those who are grateful for everything they have.

I always tend to think of all of my shows as possibly my last show. I'm like a junior Springsteen, without the underbite.

The superfluities of a rich nation furnish a better object of trade than the necessities of a poor one. It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.

What I'm saying is, when you have weight like that in your life, you have to start looking for the bigger picture or you are gonna sink.

Sooner or later, false thinking brings wrong conduct.

Power calls to those who are hungry for power, and there are hungry idiots everywhere.

I'm approaching a period in my life though where I'd like to be totally absorbed into music, doing concerts, writing something. Basically, that IS what I am doing.

Don’t tell me you’re going to eat a mashed-potato sandwich