John Randolph of Roanoke

“When I speak of my country, I mean the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

“Intolerance has been the curse of every age and state.”

“Asking one of the states to surrender part of her sovereignty is like asking a lady to surrender part of her chastity.”

“I am an aristocrat. I love liberty, I hate equality.”

“The country is ruined by cheap politicians.”

“Providence moves in a mysterious way. The gods weave misfortunes for men, that poets may have something to sing of.”

“Time is at once the most valuable and the most perishable of all our possessions.”

“I have discovered the philosopher's stone that turns everything into gold: it is, 'Pay as you go.'”

“A cunning man overreaches no one half as much as himself.”

“We are all in the same boat, in a stormy sea, and we owe each other a terrible loyalty.”

“I am a creature of impulse, of whim, and of passion.”

“You may cover whole skins of parchment with limitations, but power alone can limit power.”