Adams, Samuel: “Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plow, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude greater than the animating contest of freedom–go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you.

Adams, Samuel: “Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plow, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude greater than the animating contest of freedom–go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” (From a speech given August 1, 1776, to those assembled at the State House in Philadelphia)

Churchill, Winston: “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into propsperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”

Churchill, Winston: “There is no merit in putting off a war for a year if, when it comes, it is a far worse war or one much harder to win.” (1948)

Churchill, Winston: “To every man there comes in his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

Eban, Abba: “International law is the law which the wicked do not obey and the righteous do not enforce.”

Federalist Paper No 78: “The courts must declare the sense of the law; and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure to that of the legislative body.”

Garrison, William (MG, U.S. Army): “Never judge your value to the mission by your proximity to the target.” (attributed)

Hamilton, Alexander: “The propriety of a law, in a constitutional light, must always be determined by the nature of the powers upon which it is founded.” (Federalist No. 33, 3 January 1788)

Jackson, Thomas J. “Stonewall”: “[M]y religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.”

Lieber Code of 1863: “The more vigorously wars are pursued the better it is for humanity. Sharp wars are brief.” Section I, Article 29.

Madison, James: “It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute.” (Letter to the Dey of Algiers, August 1816)

Mill, John Stuart: “War is an ugly thing, but it is not the ugliest of things. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

Paine, Thomas: “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, so that my children may have peace.”

Paine, Thomas: “I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

Reagan, Ronald: “We must be staunch in our conviction that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings.”

Thatcher, Margaret: “To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values, and policies. So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects.”

Thatcher, Margaret: “Consensus is the absence of leadership.”

Washington, George: Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation