Constitution Quote by Henry Knox

I am unable to conceive that the state legislatures which must feel so many motives to watch, and which possess so many means of…

— James Madison

A constitution should be framed so as not to impede the action of government, nor force the government to its violation.

— Napoleon Bonaparte

For the same reason that the members of the State legislatures will be unlikely to attach themselves sufficiently to national objects, the members of…

— James Madison

... the State Legislatures will jealously and closely watch the operations of this Government, and be able to resist with more effect every assumption…

— James Madison

The fact is there are a lot of things happening at the federal level that are absolutely beyond the jurisdiction of the Constitution. This…

— Mike Huckabee

there ought always to be a constitutional method of giving efficacy to constitutional provisions. What for instance would avail restrictions on the authority of…

— James Madison

Encroachment upon the powers and rights of States also goes against the grain of the Constitution and federal principles.

— Pinarayi Vijayan

The Constitution does not vest in Congress the authority to protect society from every bad act that might befall it…[I]f followed to its logical…

— Clarence Thomas

The greatest single virtue of a strong legislature is not what it can do, but what it can prevent.

— J. William Fulbright

The Constitution's framers intended to restrict central authority to the few areas that could not be handled by states. The drafters would be horrified…

— Doug Bandow

In a federal structure such as ours, state governments are imperative for the smooth functioning of our overall polity. They can't just be wished…

— Pinarayi Vijayan

The federal government must retreat from its hyperactive involvement in areas traditionally under states' authority and refuse future temptations to regulate and legislate on…

— Scott Pruitt