James Madison

A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.

Some debts are fun when you are acquiring them, but none are fun when you set about retiring them.

Wars in old times were made to get slaves. The modern implement of imposing slavery is debt.

Do not accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience. You will find it a calamity.

You loan your friend money. You see them again, they don’t say nothin’ ’bout the money. ‘Hi, how ya doin’? How’s ya mama doing?’ Man, how’s my money doin’?

Debt is dumb. Cash is king.

Many delight more in giving of presents than in paying their debts.

We can pay our debts to the past by putting the future in debt to ourselves.

You should always live within your income, even if you have to borrow to do so.

Debt is the worst poverty.

If there is anyone to whom I owe money, I’m prepared to forget it if they are.

Debt is a mistake between lender and borrower, and both should suffer.

A hundred wagon loads of thoughts will not pay a single ounce of debt.

It is always so pleasant to be generous, though very vexatious to pay debts.

Ten million dollars after I’d become a star I was deeply in debt.

Crito, I owe a cock to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?