Rights

"For the ultimate notion of right is that which tends to the universal good; and when one's acting in a certain manner has this tendency he has a right thus to act."

"May it be to the world, what I believe it will be. To some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all, the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessing and security of self-government. That form which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately by the grace of God. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights. and an undiminished devotion to them."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,—that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

"Let us have faith that Right makes Might, and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it."

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right."

"Mensuraque juris Vis erat."

"All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights."

"Every man has by the law of nature a right to such a waste portion of the earth as is necessary for his subsistence."

"The practice of democracy has the notorious tendency to become paradoxical. [...] Democracy inspires ideas of rights but allows the taming of rights for purposes of order."

"Reparation for our rights at home, and security against the like future violations."

"All Nature is but art unknown to thee; All chance direction, which thou canst not see; All discord, harmony not understood; All partial evil, universal good; And spite of pride, in erring reason's spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is is right."

"No question is ever settled Until it is settled right."

"Old rights must remain: it would be very unreasonable if it should be otherwise."

"A pretensed right is no right at all."

"It shall not be in the power of any man, by his election, to vary the rights of two other contending parties."

"By the laws of England, there can be no special right, no particular interest or privilege whatever, of perpetual duration, but such as have respect to some kind of inheritance."