Joseph Sobran, (1946-2010) American columnist Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment on this quote Share via Email Print this Page [1-17] of 17 Joseph Sobran quotesJoseph Sobran QuotesJoseph Sobran By a very conservative estimate, a hundred million people have died at the hands of their own governments in this century. Given that record, how bad could anarchy be?~ Joseph Sobran If Communism was liberalism in a hurry, liberalism is Communism in slow motion.~ Joseph Sobran In the current political vocabulary, ‘need’ means wanting to get someone else’s money. ‘Greed,’ which used to mean what “need” now means, has come to mean wanting to keep your own. ‘Compassion’ means the politician’s willingness to arrange the transfer.~ Joseph Sobran Not surprisingly, the federal judiciary nearly always rules in favor of the federal government. Judicial review, contrary to the assurances of its advocates, has hardly restrained Congress at all. Instead it has progressively stripped the states of their traditional powers, while allowing federal power to grow unchecked.~ Joseph Sobran People who create things nowadays can expect to be prosecuted by highly moralistic people who are incapable of creating anything. There is no way to measure the chilling effect on innovation that results from the threats of taxation, regulation and prosecution against anything that succeeds. We’ll never know how many ideas our government has aborted in the name protecting us.~ Joseph Sobran Politicians never accuse you of ‘greed’ for wanting other people’s money—only for wanting to keep your own money.~ Joseph Sobran The attempt to silence a man is the greatest honour you can bestow on him. It means that you recognise his superiority to yourself.~ Joseph Sobran Tyranny seldom announces itself. ...In fact, a tyranny may exist without an individual tyrant. A whole government, even a democratically elected one, may be tyrannical.~ Joseph Sobran The difference between a politician and a pickpocket is that the pickpocket doesn't get indignant when you tell him to keep his hands to himself.~ Joseph Sobran At the end of a century that has seen the evils of communism, Nazism and other modern tyrannies, the impulse to centralize power remains amazingly persistent.~ Joseph Sobran Most Americans aren't the sort of citizens the Founding Fathers expected; they are contented serfs. Far from being active critics of government, they assume that its might makes it right.~ Joseph Sobran All in all, the framers would probably agree that it's better to impeach too often than too seldom. If presidents can't be virtuous, they should at least be nervous.~ Joseph Sobran In 100 years we have gone from teaching Latin and Greek in high school to teaching Remedial English in college.~ Joseph Sobran If you want government to intervene domestically, you're a liberal. If you want government to intervene overseas, you're conservative. If you want government to intervene everywhere, you're a moderate. If you don't want government to intervene anywhere, you're an extremist.~ Joseph Sobran Can the real Constitution be restored? Probably not. Too many Americans depend on government money under programs the Constitution doesn't authorize, and money talks with an eloquence Shakespeare could only envy. Ignorant people don't understand The Federalist Papers, but they understand government checks with their names on them.~ Joseph Sobran Politicians never accuse you of 'greed' for wanting other people's money --- only for wanting to keep your own money.~ Joseph Sobran Liberals have a new wish every time their latest wish is granted. Conservatives should make them spell out their principles and ideals. Instead of doing this, conservatives allow liberals to pursue incremental goals without revealing their ultimate destination. So, thanks to the negligence of their opponents, liberals control the terms of every debate by always demanding 'more' while never defining 'enough.' The predictable result is that they always get more, and it's never enough.~ Joseph Sobran Share on Facebook Tweet Email Print