James Q. Wilson

“One of the most powerful and perhaps irrational of all human motivations is the desire to blame, assign responsibility, find a guilty party.”

“The 'broken windows' theory of policing is based on the idea that if you stop the small things, you can prevent the big things.”

“Character is more important than any other leadership quality.”

“Mankind's moral sense is not a strong beacon light, radiating outward to illuminate in sharp outline all that it touches. It is, rather, a small candle flame, casting vague and multiple shadows, flickering and sputtering in the strong winds of power and passion, greed and ideology.”

“You can't have a free society without a moral order.”

“We have a system that increasingly taxes work and subsidizes nonwork.”

“Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible.”

“The police can't be everywhere, and they can't solve all problems. But they can be a symbol of order.”

“The single most important fact about the public institutions of any country is the character of its people.”

“The police are not here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder.”

“A culture of civility is not a luxury, but a necessity.”

“I think the government has a role in protecting the environment, in promoting public health, and in ensuring that the market is fair.”