Frederick the Great Quotes

It is my opinion that whatever is the custom of a nation, and is practiced by the first characters of that nation towards their chief, cannot degrade strangers who perform the same.

I recommend to you the subdivision of our territorial area into counties, suited to the wants and convenience of the people, with provision for the more minute subdivisions of townships, districts and precincts for municipal government and police. These subdivisions ought to be as small as the density of population may render possible. It is in these complete little republics where the sovereign power of the people is always in exercise, where self government has perpetual vitality and independent freedom is practiced and enjoyed.

I hope that we increasingly shift power to local governments.

The capacity of the commonwealth government created under the local constitution to exercise governmental powers in local affairs is like that of local government in the states of the union in regard to non-federal affairs at the local level.

Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost.

More emphasis was thus thrown upon the local governments than in England.

I know people don't like America very much, but the one thing it's very good on is local government.

I'm a strong supporter of states' rights to do what they need.

The powers of government exercised locally derive from a federal law authorizing government by consent in local affairs only, unless those affairs are otherwise governed by federal law.

A majority in all parties do, I think, want to see local government recover its old vigour and independence.

I happen to be one who believes very strongly that state and local governments have their proper roles.

The authority of a king is the keystone which closeth up the arch of order and government

I had learned from LBJ that courage is as important as tenacity if you are to get anything done in government.

I’m the first to say that I’ve no idea what I’m doing. There is no manual here for how to be mayor.

The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.

Being Attorney General is a lot better than being a judge. You can get something done. If you have an idea, you’ve got thousands of people you can put to work on the idea.

A king's word must stand.

The more responsibility you can move toward local government, the better of you're going to be … City governments do better than their State governments in terms of accountability.

Devolution [decentralization of government] cannot stop at the State House. It must go down to City Hall.

Because we in the military worship your majesty as a living god, it is extremely difficult in military command to treat your majesty as only a human.

The state of Monarchy is the supremest thing upon earth: for Kings are not only God's lieutenants, and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself they are called Gods.

How can we so organize political institutions that bad or incompetent rulers can be prevented from doing too much damage?

Central government's such as Canada's have become too small to deal with the big global issues, yet they remain too large and distant to deal with problems of local control.

When the mayor's concerned about something, eveybody's concerned about it.

A constitutional king must learn to stoop.