Professor Pitkannan (Gore Vidal): “My question still stands… What is the particular genius of the Constitution? What quality distinguishes the American Constitution? You sir, do you have an opinion on this?”
Simon Wilder (Joe Pesci): “You asked a question sir. Let me answer it. The genius of the Constitution is that it can always be changed. The genius of the Constitution is that it makes no permanent rule other than its faith in the wisdom of ordinary people to govern themselves.”
Professor Pitkannan: “Faith in the wisdom of the people is exactly what makes the Constitution incomplete and crude.”
Simon Wilder: “Crude? No sir. Our founding parents were pompous middle-aged white farmers. But they were also great men because they knew one thing that all great men should know—that they didn’t know everything. They knew they were going to make mistakes. But they made sure to leave a way to correct them.
“They didn’t think of themselves as leaders. They wanted a government of citizens—not royalty. A government of listeners not lecturers. A government that could change—not stand still.