“The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts.”

“The only thing necessary for the continuance of evil is for a good man to do nothing.”

“I have a different idea of elegance. I don't dress like a fop, it's true, but my moral grooming is impeccable. I never appear in public with a soiled conscience, a tarnished honor, threadbare scruples, or an insult that I haven't washed away. I'm always immaculately clean, adorned with independence and frankness. I may not cut a stylish figure, but I hold my soul erect. I wear my deeds as ribbons, my wit is sharper then the finest mustache, and when I walk among men I make truths ring like spurs.”

“Liberty does not exist in the absence of morality.”

“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.”

“Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist.”

“To joke in the face of danger is the supreme politeness, a delicate refusal to cast oneself as a tragic hero; panache is therefore a timid heroism, like the smile with which one excuses one's superiority.”