If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Henry David Thoreau
Potentially, a government is the most dangerous threat to man's rights: it holds a legal monopoly on the use of physical force against legally disarmed victims. Ayn Rand
Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. Ronald Reagan
I own that I am not a friend to a very energetic government. It is always oppressive. Thomas Jefferson
An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger. Confucius
So confident am I in the intentions, as well as wisdom, of the government, that I shall always be satisfied that what is not done, either cannot, or ought not to be done. Thomas Jefferson
That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part. Thomas Jefferson
No government ought to be without censors and where the press is free no one ever will. Thomas Jefferson
Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. Theodore Roosevelt
Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for. Will Rogers
The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination. Ronald Reagan
The second office in the government is honorable and easy the first is but a splendid misery. Thomas Jefferson
It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped. Hubert H. Humphrey
Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets. Ronald Reagan
One way to make sure crime doesn't pay would be to let the government run it. Ronald Reagan
Protecting the rights of even the least individual among us is basically the only excuse the government has for even existing. Ronald Reagan
Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty. George Washington
The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable. H. L. Mencken
The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren't enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Ayn Rand
The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it. P. J. O'Rourke