Quote
By James Madison
The accumulation of all powers legislative, executive and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.
- Source
- The Federalist No. 47, January 30, 1788 · The Papers of James Madison, vol. 10, pp. 448-454
- Read at
- Founders Online, National Archives (The Papers of James Madison, vol. 10)
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About this quote
From Federalist No. 47, written by Madison under the name Publius and first published on January 30, 1788. The text follows the Founders Online edition, which has no commas after "powers" and "judiciary" and prints "self appointed" without a hyphen.