Concentration Quote by James Madison
![“[T]he great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachment of the others.” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0c8/james-madison-373_concentration_t-he-great-security-against-a-gradual-co_2034701.jpg)
“[T]he great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachment of the others.”
About This Quote
Source Federalist Papers, No. 62, 1788
The quote warns that concentrating power in one department is dangerous; each department should have means to resist encroachment.
In simple terms: Separate powers must have checks to prevent dominance.
Key Takeaway
Ensure institutional checks and balances.
Themes
government
separation of powers
checks and balances
Mood
analytical
historical
Type
political
constitutional
When to use this quote
- legislative oversight
- executive limits
- judicial review
Key Concepts
constitutional design
institutional autonomy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can modern institutions strengthen interdepartmental resistance?
- What mechanisms best prevent power concentration?
A Different Perspective
Balancing power can be politically contentious.
![“[A] mere demarcation on parchment of the constitutional limits of the several departments is not a sufficient guard against those encroachments which lead to a tyrannical concentration of all the powers of government in the same hands.” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/733/james-madison-373_concentration_a-mere-demarcation-on-parchment-of-the-c_428771.jpg)
![“And may I not be allowed to ... read in the character of the American people, in their devotion to true liberty and to the Constitution which is its palladium [protection], ... a Government which watches over ... the equal interdict [prohibition] against encroachments and compacts between religion…” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1a9/james-madison-373_american-people_and-may-i-not-be-allowed-to-read-in-the_833132.jpg)
![“The danger of silent accumulations & encroachments by Ecclesiastical Bodies have not sufficiently engaged attention in the U.S. [...] Besides the danger of a direct mixture of Religion & civil Government, there is an evil which ought to be guarded against in the indefinite accumulation of property…” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88a/james-madison-373_accumulation_the-danger-of-silent-accumulations-encro_796893.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)
