“In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.From time to time we've been tempted to believe that society has become too complex to bemanaged by self-rule, that government by an elite group is superior to government for, by, and ofthe people. Well, if no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has thecapacity to govern someone else? All of us together, in and out of government, must bear theburden. The solutions we seek must be equitable, with no one group singled out to pay a higherprice.”
“Government is not a solution to our problem government is the problem.”
“We always depend on the government to do this and that for us. No government can do that. Always it is with the cooperation of the people. The people must cooperate with the government. The government will think of ways to improve the welfare of the people, but the people will have to help themselves.”
“It is important for all of us to understand that free people are not governed by rules. Here at Hillsdale we are governed by goals, and then the rules are very broad.”
“To him, one of the most fascinating historical aspects of governments was their complete disregard for governing. Governments were single-minded and interested only in increasing their control and any governance that came out of the government's actions were purely coincidental. .... The lowest flunky as well as the most powerful bureaucrat was more interested in protecting his sinecure than in helping the citizens who coughed up tax money to pay the government worker's salaries.”
“Government has become ungovernable; that is, it cannot leave off governing. Law has become lawless; that is, it cannot see where laws should stop. The chief feature of our time is the meekness of the mob and the madness of the government.”