WIST Quotations

Hemingway, Ernest -- Essay (1935-09), “Notes on the Next War,” Esquire, Vol. 4, No. 3

Dave — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:47:03 +0000

And we in America should see that no man is ever given, no matter how gradually or how noble and excellent the man, the power to put this country into a war which is now being prepared and brought closer each day with all the premeditation of a long planned murder. For when you give power to an executive you do not know who will be filling that position when the time of crisis comes.

Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American writer
Essay (1935-09), “Notes on the Next War,” Esquire, Vol. 4, No. 3

Hobbes, Thomas -- Leviathan, Part 2 “Of Common-wealth,” ch. 21 “Of the Liberty of Subjects” (1651)

Dave — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 06:58:49 +0000

The Lawes are of no power to protect them, without a Sword in the hands of a man, or men, to cause those laws to be put in execution.

Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) English philosopher
Leviathan, Part 2 “Of Common-wealth,” ch. 21 “Of the Liberty of Subjects” (1651)

Roosevelt, Theodore -- Autobiography, ch. 10 “The Presidency” (1913)

Dave — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:47:33 +0000

The most important factor in getting the right spirit in my Administration, next to the insistence upon courage, honesty, and a genuine democracy of desire to serve the plain people, was my insistence upon the theory that the executive power was limited only by specific restrictions and prohibitions appearing in the Constitution or imposed by the Congress under its Constitutional powers. My view was that every executive officer, and above all every executive officer in high position, was a steward of the people bound actively and affirmatively to do all he could for the people, and not to content himself with the negative merit of keeping his talents undamaged in a napkin. I declined to adopt the view that what was imperatively necessary for the Nation could not be done by the President unless he could find some specific authorization to do it. My belief was that it was not only his right but his duty to do anything that the needs of the Nation demanded unless such action was forbidden by the Constitution or by the laws. Under this interpretation of executive power I did and caused to be done many things not previously done by the President and the heads of the departments. I did not usurp power, but I did greatly broaden the use of executive power. In other words, I acted for the public welfare, I acted for the common well-being of all our people, whenever and in whatever manner was necessary, unless prevented by direct constitutional or legislative prohibition.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer; US President (1901–09)
Autobiography, ch. 10 “The Presidency” (1913)

McCarthy, Eugene -- Quoted (1979-02-12), “People: On the Record” section, Time Magazine

Dave — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:47:05 +0000

The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty.

Eugene McCarthy (1916–2005) American politician, poet, activist
Quoted (1979-02-12), “People: On the Record” section, Time Magazine

(Backup Source). See Truman (1959).