I go on the principle that a public debt is a public curse and in a republican government more than in any other.
James MadisonRead
No man is allowed to be a judge in his own cause; because his interest would certainly bias his judgment, and, not improbably, corrupt his integrity. With equal, nay with greater reason, a body of men are unfit to be both judges and parties at the same time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
No one can be an impartial judge in a case concerning their own interests.
This quote emphasizes the principle of impartiality in judgment, highlighting that individuals, and by extension groups, cannot remain unbiased if they have a vested interest in the outcome. Madison warns against the dangers of conflict of interest, suggesting that it compromises both judgment and integrity, which is crucial in a fair legal system.
Themes
JusticeImpartialityIntegrityBiasConflict Of Interest
In practice
Example use cases
A lawyer might use this quote when discussing the importance of unbiased legal practices.
More from James Madison
All quotes →I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations; but, on a candid examination of history, we shall find that turbulence, violence, and abuse of power, by the majority trampling on the rights of the minority, have produced factions and commotions, which, in republics, have, more frequently than any other cause, produced despotism.
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The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated.
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Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
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The magnitude of this evil among us is so deeply felt, and so universally acknowledged, that no merit could be greater than that of devising a satisfactory remedy for it.
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It was by the sober sense of our citizens that we were safely and steadily conducted from monarchy to republicanism, and it is by the same agency alone we can be kept from falling back.
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