James Madison Quote

Is it not the glory of the people of America, that, whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of former times and other nations, they have not suffered a blind veneration for antiquity, for custom, or for names, to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience? To this manly spirit, posterity will be indebted for the possession, and the world for the example, of the numerous innovations displayed on the American theatre, in favor of private rights and public happiness.

Federalist No. 14 (1787-11-30) Full text from Wikisource. This quotation was used on the official invitations to the 1985 presidential inaugural of President Ronald Reagan. - Federalist Papers (1787–1788)