In framing a government, which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty is this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.

James Madison
About This Quote

Thomas Jefferson, who often spoke in the form of questions (for example: "Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a race of men who were naturally equal to the task, and fit to sustain it?"), made this prescient analysis in 1787. He was describing, in his own words, why America had become a republic and not a democracy (and how it would remain so for over 200 years). He was also describing the difficulty of ensuring that an elected government does not become tyrannical.

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