--- title: "10 Citizens Quotes By James Bovard" description: "10 Citizens quotes by James Bovard. Plus more from James Bovard and more Citizens sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/james-bovard-9090_aliens_governments-and-citizens-blend-together_2756221.png" --- > [Governments and citizens blend together only in the imaginations of political theorists. Government is, and always will be, an alien power over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/governments-and-citizens-blend-together-only-in-the-imaginations-of/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/james-bovard-9090_aliens_governments-and-citizens-blend-together_2756221.png) > [If citizens wish to retain their liberty, they cannot assume that those who seek power over them are honest. Skepticism of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/if-citizens-wish-to-retain-their-liberty-they-cannot-assume-that/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1f/james-bovard-9090_assuming_if-citizens-wish-to-retain-their-liberty_2809501.png) > [Not only has the number of government employees multiplied in recent decades, but the rise of government unions further stacks the political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/not-only-has-the-number-of-government-employees-multiplied-in-recent/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/james-bovard-9090_citizens_not-only-has-the-number-of-government-em_473427.png) > [America needs fewer laws, not more prisons. By trying to seize far more power than is necessary over American citizens, the federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/america-needs-fewer-laws-not-more-prisons-by-trying-to-seize-far-more/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d9/james-bovard-9090_america_america-needs-fewer-laws-not-more-prison_2929879.png) > [Today's citizen is obliged to find his freedom only in the narrow ruts pre-approved by his bureaucratic overlords. "Risk-free liberty" is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/today-s-citizen-is-obliged-to-find-his-freedom-only-in-the-narrow/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/james-bovard-9090_approved_today-s-citizen-is-obliged-to-find-his-f_749333.jpg) > [The people = government doctrine is equivalent to political infantilism -- an agreement to pretend that the citizen's wishes animate each restriction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-people-government-doctrine-is-equivalent-to-political-infantilism/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/673/james-bovard-9090_agreement_the-people-government-doctrine-is-equiva_2211150.jpg) > [Gun laws are an attempt to nationalize the right of self-defense. Politicians perennially react to the police's abject failure to prevent crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-the-right-of-self-defense/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/james-bovard-9090_abiding_gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-t_688768.png) > [Americans' liberty is perishing beneath the constant growth of government power. Federal, state and local government's are confiscating citizens' property, trampling their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-the-constant-growth-of/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/james-bovard-9090_american-liberty_americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-t_1791605.png) > [Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine-and-so-unlimited-that-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/264/james-bovard-9090_accuracy_its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine_202879.png) > [To blindly trust government is to automatically vest it with excessive power. To distrust government is simply to trust humanity - to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automatically-vest-it-with/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/james-bovard-9090_ability_to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automa_2891267.png) ## Other authors on Citizens ## More by James Bovard > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The vision that the founding fathers had of rule of law and equality before the law and no one above the law, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-vision-that-the-founding-fathers-had-of-rule-of-law-and-equality/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [It is important to recognize and politics positive thinking is often the slaves' virtue - something that people do to con themselves about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/it-is-important-to-recognize-and-politics-positive-thinking-is-often/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/if-so-many-americans-are-looking-for-the-government-to-save-them-then/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine-and-so-unlimited-that-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The key question for many voters is: How much is the candidate offering for my vote?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-key-question-for-many-voters-is-how-much-is-the-candidate/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The Federal Government is exploiting public fear to redefine the relationship between the rulers and the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-federal-government-is-exploiting-public-fear-to-redefine-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Once freedom is equated with a certain material standard of living, confiscation becomes the path to liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/once-freedom-is-equated-with-a-certain-material-standard-of-living/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Government aid programs have been endlessly expanded, and the government has sought to maximize the number of people willing to accept handouts… Roughly half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/government-aid-programs-have-been-endlessly-expanded-and-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [America needs fewer laws, not more prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/america-needs-fewer-laws-not-more-prisons/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more freedoms Americans lose, the more dangerous government becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-freedoms-americans-lose-the-more-dangerous-government-becomes/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more powerful government becomes, the more abuses it commits and the more lies it must tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-powerful-government-becomes-the-more-abuses-it-commits-and/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Not only has the number of government employees multiplied in recent decades, but the rise of government unions further stacks the political odds against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/not-only-has-the-number-of-government-employees-multiplied-in-recent/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [How many McDonald's gift certificates would it take to sway a lot of Americans to pledge to never publicly criticize the U.S, President?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/how-many-mcdonald-s-gift-certificates-would-it-take-to-sway-a-lot-of/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/#itemlist", "name": "10 Citizens Quotes By James Bovard", "numberOfItems": 10, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Governments and citizens blend together only in the imaginations of political theorists. 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Politicians perennially react to the police's abject failure to prevent crime by trying to disarm law-abiding citizens. The worse government fails to control crime, the more the politicians want to restrict individuals' rights to defend themselves. But police protection in most places is typical government work - slow, inefficient, and unreliable...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Bovard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-the-right-of-self-defense/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/james-bovard-9090_abiding_gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-t_688768.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/james-bovard-9090_abiding_gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-t_688768.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/james-bovard-9090_abiding_gun-laws-are-an-attempt-to-nationalize-t_688768.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Gun laws are an attempt to nationalize the right of self-defense. Politicians perennially react to the…” — James Bovard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans' liberty is perishing beneath the constant growth of government power. Federal, state and local government's are confiscating citizens' property, trampling their rights, and decimating their opportunities more than ever before… American liberty can still be rescued from the encroachments of government. The first step to saving our liberty is to realize how much we have already lost, how we lost it, and how we will continue to lose unless fundamental political changes occur.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Bovard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-the-constant-growth-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/james-bovard-9090_american-liberty_americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-t_1791605.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/james-bovard-9090_american-liberty_americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-t_1791605.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/james-bovard-9090_american-liberty_americans-liberty-is-perishing-beneath-t_1791605.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Americans' liberty is perishing beneath the constant growth of government power. Federal, state and local…” — James Bovard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing Americans at will. The IRS hypocritically requires mistake-free returns when its own books are in shambles. It demands exorbitant sums of money without regard to the accuracy of its claims. 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To distrust government is simply to trust humanity - to trust in the ability of average people to peacefully, productively coexist without some official policing their every move. The State is merely another human institution - less creative than Microsoft, less reliable than Federal Express, less responsible than the average farmer husbanding his land, and less prudent than the average citizen spending his own paycheck.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Bovard" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automatically-vest-it-with/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/james-bovard-9090_ability_to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automa_2891267.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/james-bovard-9090_ability_to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automa_2891267.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/james-bovard-9090_ability_to-blindly-trust-government-is-to-automa_2891267.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To blindly trust government is to automatically vest it with excessive power. To distrust government is…” — James Bovard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/", "name": "Citizens Quotes by James Bovard", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb2/james-bovard-9090_aliens_governments-and-citizens-blend-together_2756221.png" }, "description": "10 Citizens quotes by James Bovard. Plus more from James Bovard and more Citizens sayings from other authors.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Citizens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "name": "James Bovard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizens/james-bovard/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```