An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens.
Thomas Jefferson in letter to John Melish (13 January 1813)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
There is a power in public opinion in this country - and I thank God for it: for it is the most honest and best of all powers - which will not tolerate an incompetent or unworthy man to hold in his weak or wicked hands the lives and fortunes of his fellow-citizens.
quote by Martin Van Buren
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
If you think aficionados of a living Constitution want to bring you flexibility, think again. You think the death penalty is a good idea? Persuade your fellow citizens to adopt it. You want a right to abortion? Persuade your fellow citizens and enact it. That's flexibility.
quote by Antonin Scalia
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
In addition, as citizens, we must fight in their incipient stages all movements by government or party or pressure groups that seek to limit the legitimate liberties of any of our fellow citizens.
quote by Wendell Willkie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
So Hard To Find
There are a few honest politicians so honest and faithful and kind
But they are such a small minority honest politicians are so hard to find
They would do almost anything for to hold on to power as power in their lives is their central theme
They put power in their lives before principle or at least that is how it does seem,
There are a few honest politicians though their type are becoming quite rare
And shady deals are concocted in high places in the bigger World out there
So much corruption in high places where success can come through deceit
Far decenter than them poor and homeless and living it rough on the street
To most politicians to lie is so easy and one lie leads to another they say
And they are referred to as 'the honorable' yet they tell more lies every day
They are tainted by their lust for power to power they so desperately cling
Yet many see them as quite special and many their praises do sing
And many out there are so gullible and to the faults of the power wielders quite blind
And 'tis sad that honest politicians are becoming much harder to find.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
And so, my fellow americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
John F. Kennedy in Inaugural address (20 January 1961)
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Early Works - Tooter
For Maurice Callard
The Great Gatsby in his forte
from the old man’s tears
to a group twinkling in the garden.
Alas, this is not my exercise,
I am supposing to big head the tooter.
I am supposing to what?
Oh yes, what he represents to me.
Well, let me see
a fellow author, a good-looking fellow.
Yes, I would agree with these.
Now what about his bad points?
You say he hasn’t any.
Well just one or two.
What are they you ask?
You cannot think of any at the moment.
Well, never mind we’ll discuss the good points in some depth.
A fellow author.
Well, yes, he is good in fact,
some might even say quite brilliant.
A good-looking fellow.
Well, with the romantic look of Robert Redford
and ruggedness of Clint Eastwood
need I say anymore?
A good teacher,
I don’t think there are any complaints.
Look, I’ve been going for five years,
but maybe I’m a slow learner!
A very helpful fellow.
Yes, I would agree with this.
I agree with anything,
but above all my comedy
and jest my work purposes.
I find him a good friend and honest critic
no author could ask for more.
25 March 1981
Authors Note:
This was written tongue-in-cheek about my good friend for nearly twenty years. When I read this out at one of his classes, everyone had a good laugh including Maurice himself. To me he was not only a teacher, friend but at times a surrogate father as my own father had no time for my writing. Although he is no longer with us all who knew him, miss him.
poem by David Harris
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
We must remember that politics is more than a power game. The core of politics in my view is to serve our citizens, to serve our fellow human beings.
quote by Kjell Magne Bondevik
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
I think it is important to ask ourselves as citizens, not as Democrats attacking the administration, but as citizens, whether a world power can really provide global leadership on the basis of fear and anxiety?
quote by Zbigniew Brzezinski
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Exercise It
Exercise the will to succeed
The will can successfully enjoy itself.
Exercise the mind to proceed
The brain has much in procedure.
Exercise the body and to bleed
Inside the layers of itself.
Exercise again and again, indeed
To enliven the soul for its task.
poem by Naveed Akram
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow-citizens, the people are confirmed by the next article in their right to keep and bear their private arms.
quote by Tench Coxe
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy! | In Romanian
John Cabanis
Neither spite, fellow citizens,
Nor forgetfulness of the shiftlessness,
And the lawlessness and waste
Under democracy's rule in Spoon River
Made me desert the party of law and order
And lead the liberal party.
Fellow citizens! I saw as one with second sight
That every man of the millions of men
Who give themselves to Freedom,
And fail while Freedom fails,
Enduring waste and lawlessness,
And the rule of the weak and the blind,
Dies in the hope of building earth,
Like the coral insect, for the temple
To stand on at the last.
And I swear that Freedom will wage to the end
The war for making every soul
Wise and strong and as fit to rule
As Plato's lofty guardians
In a world republic girdled!
poem by Edgar Lee Masters
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Sex
Mesmerized by pleasure,
it drives you wild for sure.
you'll feel on top of the world,
filled with the power of a horse.
Its a wonderful game played by two
who are captured by pleasure like glue.
he'll hold her tight,
and bang her with might.
You'll could feel her breast
on your chest,
its a part so soft
when you grasp it you feel so tough.
Thrusting in and out, you'll feel the heat
she moans so soft, not minding the beat.
she begs and craves for more,
for she's lost in pleasure for sure.
At the peak of cumming, he moans louder
at this stage, he bangs faster.
he pours it out, smilling with bliss
kiss her lips, feeling the breeze.
poem by Randy Micheal
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Three Gods Best Avoided
Power, pleasure and fame are three Gods best avoided
Power for leading only to its own corruption
And denial of death where power ends.
Pleasure for its involution upon the self
Where freedom lies in finding others
The self a false center.
Fame for ephemeral lure
To those deprived of love's true nourishing milk
Easily forgetting that ax murderers
Have fame to no avail.
Power, pleasure and fame are three Gods best avoided.
poem by Bill Grace
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Good Citizen
When i hear someone referred to as a good citizen i feel like laughing aloud
Your government approves of you big brother of you proud
But if you die tomorrow the government won't care
To them you are just a number and your type are not rare,
The government and big brother you do not need to impress
Their approval or disapproval will not ease your cares and stress
The one who is a good friend to the neighbour is surely far more great
Than the one big brother looks upon as a good friend of the State,
The good citizens pay their taxes and work hard for their pay
And they vote in a lousy Government on National election day
And good citizens dob in their fellow citizen to the police for a minor traffic offence
In their quest for big brother's approval they sacrifice common sense
And many more good citizens they passed away today
They worked hard and voted in a lousy government and their taxes they did pay.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A Son Of A Gun
I wish I had a barrel of rum
and sugar three hundred pound.
I’d put it in the College bell
and stir it ‘round and ‘round.
Let ev’ry honest fellow
drink his glass of hearty cheer,
For I’m a student of old Dartmouth
and a son of a gun for beer.
I’m a son of a, son of a, son of a,
son of a gun for beer.
I’m a son of a, son of a, son of a,
son of a gun for beer,
Like ev’ry honest fellow I like my whiskey clear.
For I’m a student of Old Dartmouth
and a son of a gun for beer.
And if I had a daughter, sir,
I’d dress her up in green;
I’d put her on the campus
just to coach the freshman team.
And if I had a son, sir,
I’ll tell you what he’d do
He’d yell, ‘To Hell with Harvard!’
like his Daddy used to do.
(Chorus)
poem by Anonymous Americas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Believe him
Love is to believe
Be honest and never deceive
Only way to know his power
Feel close to him in rainy shower
No one has ever known
But feelings may be of your own
You may feel some touch
God has power to pull you as such
Be fearful of ill acts
Keep control and never badly react
Restrain self and talk may bring good result
Good relation is restored and strongly built
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
My fellow citizens, the state of our city is strong.
quote by Thomas Menino
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Curses on the law! Most of my fellow citizens are the sorry consequences of uncommitted abortions.
quote by Karl Kraus
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Who Is This God Fellow And What's The Reason Why
Who is this God Fellow
And what’s the reason why
Did he murder the last poet
When he thought to cry
Who is this God Fellow
And what’s the reason why
Dose he never leave the gated community
Of his heaven in the sky.
Who is this God fellow
And what is his gig
It seems to me that he and his priest
Got the whole damn thing rigged
Is he a prince or a pauper a pusher or a pimp
That dose his jealous thing reveal
To me while I smoke a bit of hemp.
Who is this God fellow
Is he married to human by the power of a prayer
And why is it that he should even care
Who is this God fellow and what’s the reason why
Did he murder the last poet when he thought to cry
Who is this God fellow and why are his blessings to live
Only by the hands of priest that are stingy to give
Who the reason and what’s the reason why
That a small rain should collect in his eyes.
poem by David E. Patton
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The growth of modern constitutional government compels for its successful practice the exercise of reason and considerate judgment by the individual citizens who constitute the electorate.
quote by Elihu Root
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!