"Secure property in hand leads to peace..." - Quote by Mencius

“The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the least.”

“When I say that all men have the mind which cannot bear to see the suffering of others, my meaning is illustrated this way: when two men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they all have a feeling of alarm and distress, not to gain friendship with the child's parents, nor to seek the praise of their neighbors and friends. From such a case, we see that a man without the feeling of commiseration is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of humanity.”

“Only when a man will not do some things is he capable of doing great things.”

“I bought a cheap piece of land... It was on someone else’s property.”

“Men did not make the earth... It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. ... Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds.”

“The whole constitution of property on its present tenures, is injurious, and its influence on persons deteriorating and degrading.”

“May it be to the world... to assume the blessings and security of self-government.”

“I was never molested by any person but those who represented the State. I had no lock nor bolt but for the desk which held my papers, not even a nail to put over my latch or windows. I never fastened my door night or day, though I was to be absent several days; not even when the next fall I spent a fortnight in the woods of Maine. And yet my house was more respected than if it had been surrounded by a file of soldiers.”

“A wall is a hell of a lot better than a war.”