"Liberty may be endangered by the abuse of liberty, but also by the abuse of power."
滥用自由与滥用权力同样会威胁自由,政府需在保障个人权利与维护公共利益之间找到平衡。
"If men were angels, no government would be necessary."
人类天生不完美,需要政府来管理被统治者,但需通过制度设计防止权力滥用。
"The truth is that all men having power ought to be mistrusted."
所有掌握权力的人都应受到质疑,防止专制倾向。
"The majority's ability to harm a minority."
多数人的暴政可能威胁少数群体的权利,宪法需通过制衡机制保护少数人。
"The danger is not so much the minority, but the majority."
多数人可能因误用权力或集体疯狂而危害少数人,需通过制度设计限制多数人的暴政倾向。
"A republic must control the majority, and the majority must control the government."
共和制的核心在于双重控制:政府需受法律约束,多数人需通过选举和制衡机制管理政府。
"The purpose of government is to protect the minority against the majority."
政府的最终职责是防止多数人对少数人的压迫,保障基本人权。
"The greatest danger to liberty is the concentration of power."
权力集中易导致腐败和专制,分散权力是维护自由的关键。
"A free government is one that protects the minority against the majority, and the minority against the government."
自由政府的双重保障机制:防止多数暴政和政府滥用权力。
"The structure of government should be such that it can control itself."
政府需具备自我约束能力,通过分权制衡和法治原则实现自我监督。
这些名言体现了麦迪逊对权力制衡、少数权益保护及政府责任的深刻思考,对美国宪政思想和现代民主制度影响深远。