Daniel Webster Quotes

Powerful Daniel Webster for Daily Growth

About Daniel Webster

Daniel Webster (February 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852), an American statesman and lawyer, was a prominent figure in the early 19th century, renowned for his oratorical skills and significant contributions to U.S. law and politics. Born in Salisbury, New Hampshire, Webster showed great promise as a student and, after a brief stint in teaching, he began studying law. Admitted to the bar in 1809, Webster quickly established himself as a skilled attorney, winning several high-profile cases. Webster's political career started in 1813 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until 1817. In this period, he advocated for protective tariffs and the national bank. He later represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 1823 to 1827 and again from 1845 to 1850. Webster's most notable achievement as a senator was his role in the "Hartford Convention" of 1815, where he argued for compromise with Southern states to avoid secession. In the 1830s, he became one of the leading opponents of nullification and slavery, famously stating, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" His most significant legal case was the "Amistad" case in 1841, where he argued for the freedom of African slaves who had revolted aboard a Spanish slave ship. His argument helped secure their release. Daniel Webster's quotations continue to be influential today. Frequently attributed to him is the statement, "The first duty of Nations, as well as men, is to do no harm." This encapsulates his lifelong commitment to preserving the Union and promoting justice in both law and politics.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"It is a small counsel that a party requires at all times, and still less when it is in a difficult posture."

This quote by Daniel Webster highlights the importance of prudence and careful consideration during challenging situations. When a person or party finds themselves in a difficult position, seeking advice is crucial but not always easy since the circumstances are often complex. The quote suggests that it is even less appropriate to seek counsel at such times, implying that hasty decisions without proper consultation could worsen an already problematic situation.


"I have never seen, nor can I imagine, a law so contrary to the plain sense of the English words, as if they had said, a man might pick up a sword himself, or help a friend to pick one up, and then go abroad and kill whom he pleased."

Daniel Webster's quote highlights the importance of clear language in law. He argues that any law which contradicts the plain meaning of the words used is unjust. In this context, he uses the example of a law allowing a person to pick up a sword and kill whoever they please, asserting such a law would be absurd because it contradicts common sense and ethical principles. The quote emphasizes the need for laws to be clearly written and just in order to maintain fairness and order in society.


"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!"

The quote by Daniel Webster, "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable!" is a powerful call for unity and the preservation of freedom as essential, unbreakable aspects of a nation or society. It emphasizes the belief that these two principles, liberty (freedom) and union (unity), must coexist and endure together, not just for the present, but forever into the future. The message is one of indivisibility, where freedom and unity are so intertwined that they cannot be separated or compromised without damaging the essence of the society itself.


"The Constitution was made for man, not man for the Constitution."

This quote emphasizes that the U.S. Constitution is a tool designed to serve and protect human rights and freedoms, rather than an end in itself that should be followed blindly or inflexibly. It underscores the importance of interpreting and applying the Constitution in a way that benefits and respects individuals and their inherent rights, as opposed to prioritizing the letter of the law over its spirit or purpose.


"And let our motto be: Freedom, and not Regard of Persons! We claim this country for the free, not the clever and the cunning."

This quote by Daniel Webster emphasizes the value of freedom over personal privilege or social status in shaping a nation. He calls for a society where everyone is treated equally, regardless of their individual abilities or connections, and where freedom is the guiding principle. In essence, it's a call for equality, fairness, and democracy, where the focus is on the liberation of individuals, rather than their social standing.


On the diffusion of education among the people rest the preservation and perpetuation of our free institutions.

- Daniel Webster

Rest, Preservation, Institutions

Man is a special being, and if left to himself, in an isolated condition, would be one of the weakest creatures; but associated with his kind, he works wonders.

- Daniel Webster

Kind, Creatures, Works, Weakest

The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.

- Daniel Webster

Grasp, Been, Executive, Contest

Let it be borne on the flag under which we rally in every exigency, that we have one country, one constitution, one destiny.

- Daniel Webster

Destiny, Country, Which, One Country

One country, one constitution, one destiny.

- Daniel Webster

Destiny, Country, One Country

The right of an inventor to his invention is no monopoly - in any other sense than a man's house is a monopoly.

- Daniel Webster

Other, Monopoly, His, Invention

We are all agents of the same supreme power, the people.

- Daniel Webster

Same, Supreme, Supreme Power, Agents

It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment, independence now and independence forever.

- Daniel Webster

Dying, Living, Sentiment, Blessing

How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems.

- Daniel Webster

See, How, Which, Frame

The world is governed more by appearance than realities so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.

- Daniel Webster

Society, World, Appearance, Fully

Inconsistencies of opinion, arising from changes of circumstances, are often justifiable.

- Daniel Webster

Changes, Circumstances, Arising

Falsehoods not only disagree with truths, but usually quarrel among themselves.

- Daniel Webster

Disagree, Among, Truths, Falsehoods

Mind is the great lever of all things; human thought is the process by which human ends are ultimately answered.

- Daniel Webster

Mind, Process, Which, All Things

I mistrust the judgment of every man in a case in which his own wishes are concerned.

- Daniel Webster

Mistrust, Concerned, Which, Case

Liberty exists in proportion to wholesome restraint.

- Daniel Webster

Liberty, Proportion, Exists, Restraint

The most important thought that ever occupied my mind is that of my individual responsibility to God.

- Daniel Webster

Important, Most, Ever, Occupied

Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization.

- Daniel Webster

Gardening, Other, Cultivation

He who tampers with the currency robs labor of its bread.

- Daniel Webster

Bread, He, Who, Currency

A disordered currency is one of the greatest political evils.

- Daniel Webster

Political, Greatest, Evils, Currency

Justice, sir, is the great interest of man on earth. It is the ligament which holds civilized beings and civilized nations together.

- Daniel Webster

Politics, Which, Civilized, Sir

Whatever government is not a government of laws, is a despotism, let it be called what it may.

- Daniel Webster

Government, Laws, May, Despotism

We have been taught to regard a representative of the people as a sentinel on the watch-tower of liberty.

- Daniel Webster

Been, Taught, Sentinel, Representative

Every unpunished murder takes away something from the security of every man's life.

- Daniel Webster

Man, Security, Away, Unpunished

The materials of wealth are in the earth, in the seas, and in their natural and unaided productions.

- Daniel Webster

Wealth, Natural, Materials, Seas

Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.

- Daniel Webster

Men, Makes, Christians, Citizens

What a man does for others, not what they do for him, gives him immortality.

- Daniel Webster

Man, Immortality, Does, Gives

The people's government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people.

- Daniel Webster

Government, People, Made, For The People

A country cannot subsist well without liberty, nor liberty without virtue.

- Daniel Webster

Liberty, Country, Nor, Subsist

When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization.

- Daniel Webster

Civilization, Farmers, Other, Therefore

God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.

- Daniel Webster

Love, Always, Grants, Ready

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