That we are to stand by the president, right or wrong is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.

It is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official...

Working for peace in the future is to work for peace in the present moment.

In order to rally people, governments need enemies. They want us to be afraid, to hate, so we will rally behind them.

Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk

War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle.

Our children are not born to hate, they are raised to hate.

Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.

This I hope will be the age of experiments in government, and that their basis will be founded in principles of honesty, not of mere force.

in a letter to John Adams, 1796.

I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of the society but the people themselves.

Originally in a letter to William C. Jarvis, 1820. Can be found in volume of "Writings" (New York, NY: Library of America) p.493

The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to.

War is an instrument entirely inefficient toward redressing wrong; and multiplies, instead of indemnifying losses.

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.

If there is one principle more deeply rooted in the mind of every American, it is that we should have nothing to do with conquest.

in a letter to William Short, 28 July 1791.

Governments constantly choose between telling lies and fighting wars, with the end result always being the same. One will always lead to the other.

War...is as much a punishment to the punisher as to the sufferer.

To preserve our independence...We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.

Conquest is not in our principles. It is inconsistent with our government.

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive.

Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.

The most successful war seldom pays for its losses.