31 Political Philosophy Quotes That Inspire

In a world where the pace of change is relentless, political philosophy offers a quiet space for reflection and understanding. It's the thread that binds our beliefs about justice, power, and governance. While the complexities of political theories might seem daunting, they are often illuminated by the profound insights of great thinkers, both past and present. This blog post delves into a curated collection of influential political philosophy quotes that not only challenge our perceptions but also inspire us to think deeply about the structure and purpose of society. Let's explore these snippets of wisdom and uncover how they continue to shape and redefine the policies and beliefs that govern our world today.

1. “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.” - Niccolo Machiavelli

2. “If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.” - Thomas Jefferson

3. “It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting.” - Tom Stoppard

4. “If our Founding Fathers wanted us to care about the rest of the world, they wouldn't have declared their independence from it.” - Stephen Colbert

5. “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” - Ronald Reagan

6. “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

7. “The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.” - Aristotle

8. “As soon as a Western man comes into contact with the East -- he's already confused. The West has sort of an international rape mentality towards the East. ...Basically, 'Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.' The West thinks of itself as masculine -- big guns, big industry, big money -- so the East is feminine -- weak, delicate, poor...but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom -- the feminine mystique. Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes. The West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated -- because a woman can't think for herself. ...You expect Oriental countries to submit to your guns, and you expect Oriental women to be submissive to your men.” - David Henry Hwang

9. “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” - Bertrand Russell

10. “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste.” - Thomas Jefferson

11. “It is my strong conviction that a realist conception of human nature should be made a servant of an ethic of progressive justice and should not be made into a bastion of conservatism, particularly a conservatism which defends unjust privileges.” - Reinhold Niebuhr

12. “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” - Plutarch

13. “Remember that every government service, every offer of government - financed security, is paid for in the loss of personal freedom... In the days to come, whenever a voice is raised telling you to let the government do it, analyze very carefully to see whether the suggested service is worth the personal freedom which you must forgo in return for such service.” - Ronald Reagan

14. “Is it better to be loved or feared?” - Niccolo Machiavelli

15. “Lawan dari despotisme adalah hak asasi” - Mahbub Djunaidi

16. “The job facing American voters… in the days and years to come is to determine which hearts, minds and souls command those qualities best suited to unify a country rather than further divide it, to heal the wounds of a nation as opposed to aggravate its injuries, and to secure for the next generation a legacy of choices based on informed awareness rather than one of reactions based on unknowing fear.” - Aberjhani

17. “Tell me,' asked Stas, 'what is a wicked deed?' 'If anyone takes away Kali's cow,' he answered after a brief reflection, 'that then is a wicked deed.' 'Excellent!' exclaimed Stas, 'and what is a good one?' This time the answer came without any reflection: 'If Kali takes away the cow of somebody else, that is a good deed.' Stas was too young to perceive that similar views of evil and good deeds were enunciated in Europe not only by politicians but by whole nations.” - Henryk Sienkiewicz

18. “Pues nada ha sido nunca para un hombre o una sociedad humana más insoportable que la libertad.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

19. “The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself.” - Jane Addams

20. “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of production and trade...” - Ayn Rand

21. “When anyone studies a little or pays a little attention to the rules of Islamic government, Islamic politics, Islamic society and Islamic economy he will realize that Islam is a very political religion. Anyone who will say that religion is separate from politics is a fool; he does not know Islam or politics.” - Ruhollah Khomeini

22. “As I see it, only God can be all-powerful without danger, because his wisdom and justice are always equal to his power. Thus there is no authority on earth so inherently worthy of respect, or invested with a right so sacred, that I would want to let it act without oversight or rule without impediment (p. 290).” - Alexis de Tocqueville

23. “Your right of religious freedom ends where my right of religious abstinence begins...” - T. Rafael Cimino

24. “إن خوف المستبدِ من نقمة رعيته أكثرُ من خوفهم بأسَهُ, لأن خوفه ينشأ عن علمه بما يستحقه منهم؛ و خوفهم ناشئ عن جهل؛ و خوفه عن عجز حقيقي فيه, و خوفهم عن توهم التخاذل فقط؛ و خوفه على فقد حياته و سلطانه, و خوفهم على لقيمات من النبات على وطن يألفون غيرَه في أيام؛ و خوفه على كل شئ تحت سماء ملكه, و خوفهم على حياة تعيسة فقط.” - عبدالرحمن الكواكبي

25. “Y yo pregunto a los economistas políticos, a los moralistas, si han calculado el número de individuos que es necesario condenar a la miseria, al trabajo desproporcionado, a la infancia desamparada, a la ignorancia crapulosa, a la desgracia invencible, a la penuria absoluta, para producir un rico.” - Almeida Garrett

26. “Round pegs in square holes tend to have dangerous thoughts about the social system and tend to infect others with their discontents.” - Aldous Huxley

27. “Hay dos maneras de combatir: una con leyes y otra con la fuerza, la primera es propia del hombre, la segunda es de los animales, pero como muchas veces la primera no basta conviene recurrir a la segunda.” - Niccolo Machiavelli

28. “When we take away from a man his traditional way of life, his customs, hi religion, we had better make certain to replace it with SOMETHING OF VALUE” - Robert Ruark

29. “A politician lost an argument; he went on a rampage with his fists pointed towards the sky—a move which amounts to a search for a new self.” - Duop Chak Wuol

30. “If you are a leader or someone who works for the interest of a community, first make sure that you understand the interest of the people who make up that community. In this way, you will have a good chance of minimizing, perhaps, avoiding the us versus them mentality.” - Duop Chak Wuol

31. “In a world grown dark with deceit there there are many who are blinded and few who can hold up a light so that we can see the way. More important, so that we can look at ourselves, as well as others, and know how similar we are to the herd.” - F. Sionil José