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No government can long endure unless its citizens are willing to make some sacrifice for its existence.

— William Jennings Bryan

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Government

More quotes by William Jennings Bryan

You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns, you shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold.

Cross of Gold Speech (1896)

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.

You cannot judge a man's life by the success of a moment, by the victory of an hour, or even by the results of a year. You must view his life as a whole.

The Law and the Gospel (1896)

If they believe it, they go back to scoff at the religion of their parents.

Scopes Trial (1925)

While human government exists the tendency to abuse power will remain.

All William Jennings Bryan quotes →

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Ill can he rule the great, that cannot reach the small.

Edmund Spenser The Faerie Queene (1589)

The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.

James Madison

Bureaucracy and social harmony are inversely proportional to each other.

Leon Trotsky The Revolution Betrayed (1936)

There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.

John Adams

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: William Jennings Bryan (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.