الحكّامُ ليسوا أكثر من وكلاءَ ونُوّابٍ وأمناءَ على الشعب؛ فإذا خُونت القضيةُ والمصلحةُ والأمانةُ خيانةً خفيّةً، أو أُهدرت عبثًا، كان للشعب الحقُّ في سحب السلطة التي فوّضها بنفسه، وأن يُقيم وكلاءَ ونُوّابًا وأمناءَ أكفأ وأجدر.

“Rulers are no more than attorneys, agents, and trustees, for the people; and if the cause, the interest and trust, is insidiously betrayed, or wantonly trifled away, the people have a right to revoke the authority that they themselves have deputed, and to constitute abler and better agents, attorneys, and trustees.”John Adams — The Political Writings of John Adams: Representative Selections (2003)