Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them. Joseph Story on intelligence
A good government implies two things first, fidelity to the objects of the government secondly, a knowledge of the means, by which those objects can be best attained. Joseph Story on knowledge
And it is no less true, that personal security and private property rest entirely upon the wisdom, the stability, and the integrity of the courts of justice. Joseph Story on wisdom