Any law which violates the inalienable rights of man is essentially unjust and tyrannical; it is not a law at all.

Again, it may be said, that to love justice and equality the people need no great effort of virtue; it is sufficient that they love themselves.

The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.

Atheism is aristocratic; the idea of a great Being that watches over oppressed innocence and punishes triumphant crime is altogether popular.

The authority to declare war rests in Congress, not in an out-of-control president.

We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn't a matter of political correctness. It's a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith.

We need to continue our full support of the nascent Iraqi government by helping to rebuild their economic infrastructure and maintain security while training the Iraqi security forces.

In American politics, the deepest rivalry is between the rational world and the right wing of the GOP, who are increasingly marginalized in their view that America cannot take on the big challenges.