Alarms Quote by James Madison
“May it not be asked of every intelligent friend to the liberties of his country, whether the power exercised in such an act as this ought not to produce great and universal alarm? Whether a rigid execution of such an act, in time past, would not have repressed that information and communication among the people which is indispensable to the just exercise of their electoral rights? And whether such an act, if made perpetual, and enforced with rigor, would not, in time to come, either destroy our free system of government, or prepare a convulsion that might prove equally fatal to it?”
About This Quote
Source Federalist Papers, No. 10, 1787
Warns that suppressing free flow of information can alarm citizens and endanger democratic governance.
In simple terms: Censoring information threatens democracy.
Key Takeaway
Protect open communication.
Themes
freedom
government
information
Mood
cautious
concerned
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- elections
- public debate
- press freedom
Key Concepts
democracy
civil liberties
media control
Questions to Reflect On
- Is any restriction on speech ever justified?
- How does fear influence policy decisions?
A Different Perspective
Censorship may be justified in extreme security crises.
![“I repeat what I suggest in my book [ Strategie de la deception]. The first deterrence, nuclear deterrence, is presently being superseded by the second deterrence: a type of deterrence based on what I call 'the information bomb' associated with the new weaponry of information and communications…” quote by Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bde/paul-virilio-2130_bombs_i-repeat-what-i-suggest-in-my-book-strat_1916644.jpg)
![“It is certain that every class is interested in [educational] establishments which give to the human mind its highest improvements, and to every Country its truest and most durable celebrity.” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/964/james-madison-373_certain_it-is-certain-that-every-class-is-intere_22217.jpg)
