politics Quotes

These, then, are the four kinds of royalty. First the monarchy of the heroic ages; this was exercised over voluntary subjects, but limited to certain functions; the king was a general and a judge, and had the control of religion... ...

But since there is but one aim for the entire state, it follows that education must be one and the same for all, and that the responsibility for it must be a public one, not the private affair which it... ...

A state is an association of similar persons whose aim is the best life possible. What is best is happiness, and to be happy is an active exercise of virtue and a complete employment of it.

The best political community is one where the middle class has control and is larger than both other classes.

A democracy when put to the strain grows weak, and is supplanted by Oligarchy.

. .we would have to say that hereditary succession is harmful. You may say the king, having sovereign power, will not in that case hand over to his children. But it is hard to believe that: it is a difficult... ...

Even if you must have regard to wealth, in order to secure leisure, yet it is surely a bad thing that the greatest offices, such as those of kings and generals, should be bought. The law which allows this abuse... ...

So we must lay it down that the association which is a state exists not for the purpose of living together but for the sake of noble actions.

A very populous city can rarely, if ever, be well governed.

Aristocracy is that form of government in which education and discipline are qualifications for suffrage and office holding.