I look upon North America as the only great nursery of freemen left…

The idea of governing provinces and colonies by force is visionary and chimerical. The experiment has often been tried, and it has never succeeded. It ends infallibly in the ruin of one country or the other.

The people are certainly the best judges whether they are well governed; and the Crown can have no rights inconsistent with the happiness of the people.

It has always been a most arduous task to govern distant provinces, with even a tolerable appearance of justice.

The true art of government consists in not governing too much.

Arbitrary taxation is plunder authorized by law.

The sunn must lend his goulden beames, Soft windes their breath, green trees their shade, Sweete fields their flowers, cleare springs their streams, Ere such another smyle bee made.