James Stockdale Quotes

... the keynote of government is injustice.

For there is no defense for a man who, in the excess of his wealth, has kicked the great altar of Justice out of sight.

Whenever there are some who have more opportunities than others, this feeds corruption.

[A] privilege takes flight when abused.

The Court is corrupt: The fields are overgrown with weeds; the granaries are empty. Yet there are those dressed in fineries, With swords at their sides: Filled with food and drink, Possessed of too much wealth. This is called "Taking the lead in robbery.

Nothing is quite so wretchedly corrupt as an aristocracy which has lost its power but kept its wealth

There are always people willing to commit unspeakable human atrocity in exchange for a little power and privilege.

It's hard to think what should make your blood boil more - what happened to Billy Ray or what didn't happen to those who abused him. It's something we can't ignore.

Corruption is just another form of tyranny.

There are three things in the world that deserve no mercy, hypocrisy, fraud, and tyranny.

Face it, the system is rigged, and it's rigged against us.

An elite class that is free to operate without limits - whether limits imposed by the rule of law or fear of the responses from those harmed by their behavior - is an elite class that will plunder, degrade, and cheat at will, and act endlessly to fortify its own power.

I believe the root of all evil is abuse of power.

Wherever there is interest and power to do wrong, wrong will generally be done.

What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power, and the power to abuse.

Powerlessness corrupts: absolute powerlessness corrupts absolutely

Powerlessness also corrupts.

Whenever there are enclosing walls, there are abuses behind them.

Ignorant power comes in the end to the same thing as wicked power; it makes misery.

Aid corrupts.

There is something wrong in a government where they who do the most have the least. There is something wrong when honesty wears a rag, and rascality a robe; when the loving, the tender, eat a crust, while the infamous sit at banquets.

It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their selfish purposes.

All riches come from iniquity, and unless one has lost, another cannot gain.

Corruption is a punitive tax on those who can least afford it.

Those who have by an unrighteous power made merchandise of the earth, giving all to some, & none to others, declare themselves tyranicall & usurping.