Patriot Echoes – Illuminating 250 years of patriot liberty.
Facebook YouTube Pinterest gettr Truth Social Reddit
Alibris: Books, Music, & Movies

Topic

Topic: Liberty

Subscribe to this topic (RSS)

Quotes

  • “Power must never be trusted without a check. ”
    John Adams , Thoughts on Government · View
  • “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ”
    Benjamin Franklin , Pennsylvania Assembly Reply to Governor · View
  • “A free government rests upon public virtue. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Zabdiel Adams · View
  • “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth. ”
    George Washington , Diary Entry · View
  • “Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness. ”
    George Washington , Diary Entry · View
  • “Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake. ”
    George Washington , Diary Entry · View
  • “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter. ”
    George Washington , Diary Entry · View
  • “Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of limitations of governmental power, not the increase of it. ”
    Woodrow Wilson , Address to New York Press Club · View
  • “We have it in our power to begin the world all over again. A situation similar to the present hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand, and a race of men, perhaps as numerous as all Europe contains, are to receive their portion of freedom from the events of a few months. ”
    Thomas Paine , Common Sense · View
  • “Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil. ”
    Thomas Paine , Common Sense · View
  • “Law and liberty cannot rationally become the objects of our love, unless they first become the objects of our knowledge. ”
    James Wilson , Lectures on Law · View
  • “[L]iberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood. ”
    John Adams , Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law · View
  • “To suppose any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without virtue in the people is a chimerical idea. ”
    James Madison , Speech at Virginia Ratifying Convention · View
  • “The only foundation for... a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Essay on Education · View
  • “As a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. ”
    James Madison , Essay on Property · View
  • “I conceive that we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken to pieces, and the oppressed made free again. ”
    Samuel Adams , Proclamation for a Day of Fasting · View
  • “True liberty is found only in obedience to Christ. ”
    Jacob Broom , Letter to Delaware Convention · View
  • “The law of Christ is the law of liberty. ”
    William Paca , Letter to Maryland Convention · View
  • “The Gospel is the only true source of liberty and order. ”
    William Livingston , Letter to John Jay · View
  • “He is the best friend to American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion... Whoever is an avowed enemy to God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country. ”
    John Witherspoon , Sermon: The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men · View
  • “The God who gave us life gave us liberty. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Notes on the State of Virginia · View
  • “Before any man can be considered a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe. ”
    James Madison , Memorial and Remonstrance · View
  • “He is the best friend to American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion... Whoever is an avowed enemy to God, I scruple not to call him an enemy to his country. ”
    John Witherspoon , Sermon: The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men · View
  • “Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. ”
    John Hancock , Call to Arms and Prayer · View
  • “A republic once equally poised must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty. He is the best friend to American liberty who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion. ”
    John Witherspoon , Sermon: Dominion of Providence · View
  • “The moment faction takes root, the republic is in danger. ”
    Gouverneur Morris , Constitutional Convention Notes · View
  • “Measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority. ”
    James Madison , Federalist No. 10 · View
  • “There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism. But faction is the enemy of liberty. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Letter to Gouverneur Morris · View
  • “The Constitution must guard against the spirit of faction, lest it destroy the very liberties it seeks to protect. ”
    Gouverneur Morris , Convention Notes · View
  • “Faction is the enemy of liberty because it seeks power without principle. ”
    Gouverneur Morris , Convention Notes · View
  • “Those who fear and distrust the people... have been the enemies of liberty. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Henry Lee · View
  • “If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Francis Hopkinson · View
  • “Liberty ought to be the direct aim of every government, but faction will always seek to corrupt it. ”
    Patrick Henry , Virginia Convention Speech · View
  • “Faction is the enemy of liberty. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Letter to Gouverneur Morris · View
  • “The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man... A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government... have, in turn, divided mankind. ”
    James Madison , Federalist No. 10 · View
  • “The moment faction takes root, the republic is in danger. It is not the form, but the spirit of government that preserves liberty. ”
    Gouverneur Morris , Constitutional Convention Notes · View
  • “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. ”
    George Washington , Farewell Address · View
  • “The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , A Summary View of the Rights of British America · View
  • “Give me liberty, or give me death! ”
    Patrick Henry , Speech at the Second Virginia Convention · View
  • “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basisa conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Notes on the State of Virginia · View
  • “Law must serve liberty, not merely power. ”
    David Brearley , Judicial Philosophy (inferred) · View
  • “In every human breast, God has implanted a principle, which we call love of freedom. ”
    Phillis Wheatley , Poem: To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth · View
  • “The cause of liberty is a cause of too much dignity to be sullied by turbulence and tumult. ”
    John Dickinson , Letter from a Farmer No. 6 · View
  • “We claim nothing but the liberty and privileges of English subjects. ”
    John Dickinson , Letter from a Farmer No. 10 · View
  • “Let us take care of our constitution and liberty will take care of itself. ”
    John Dickinson , Letter from a Farmer No. 4 · View
  • “Liberty is not the daughter but the parent of virtue. ”
    John Dickinson , Letter from a Farmer No. 5 · View
  • “A single step, beyond the bounds of the constitution, may lead to an abyss of despotism. ”
    John Dickinson , Letter from a Farmer No. 1 · View
  • “There is no Declaration of Rights; and the laws of the general Government being paramount the declarations of rights in the separate States are no security. ”
    George Mason , Mason, George. Objections to This Constitution of Government, 7 Oct 1787. · View
  • “They have always proved the destruction of liberty, and are abhorrent to the spirit of a free republic. A free republic will never keep a standing army to execute its laws. It must depend upon the support of its citizens. ”
    Robert Yates (Brutus) , Brutus. Essay VIII, 10 Jan 1788. · View
  • “Without virtue, there can be no liberty. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Address to the People · View
  • “Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty as well as by the abuses of power. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Federalist Papers No. 1 · View
  • “The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Federalist Papers No. 23 · View
  • “The people are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to William Short · View
  • “Liberty must be supported by virtue and morality. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Mercy Otis Warren · View
  • “Liberty and justice are the twin pillars of a free society. ”
    John Jay , Letter to the New York Assembly · View
  • “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. ”
    James Madison , Speech to Congress · View
  • “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ”
    Benjamin Franklin , Letter to the Pennsylvania Assembly · View
  • “Liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the right to do as we ought. ”
    John Adams , Letter to John Quincy Adams · View
  • “A constitution founded on the principles of liberty and equality must be preserved with vigilance. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Thomas Jefferson · View
  • “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , The Writings of Thomas Jefferson · View
  • “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people. ”
    John Adams , Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law · View
  • “The principles of liberty must be taught in the home. ”
    Eliza Hamilton , Private Correspondence · View
  • “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. ”
    Patrick Henry , Speech to the Virginia Convention · View
  • “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. ”
    James Madison , Letter to W.T. Barry · View
  • “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Declaration of Independence · View
  • “To contend for our own liberty, and to deny that blessing to others, involves an inconsistency not to be excused. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Robert Evans · View
  • “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep forever. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Notes on the State of Virginia · View
  • “The promise of liberty is not written in blood or engraved in stone, it's embroidered into the fabric of our nation. ”
    Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton , My Dear Hamilton · View
  • “What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to James Madison · View
  • “We have staked the whole future of American civilization ... upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments. ”
    James Madison , Attributed · View
  • “The sacred rights of mankind ... are written ... by the hand of the divinity itself. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , The Farmer Refuted · View
  • “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Benjamin Rush · View
  • “Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdomand no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. ”
    Benjamin Franklin , Silence Dogood Letters · View
  • “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush · View
  • “The Constitution is the cement of the Union, and the safeguard of our liberties. ”
    James Wilson , Speech to the Pennsylvania Convention · View
  • “The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written ... by the hand of the divinity itself. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , The Farmer Refuted · View
  • “The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles. ”
    Noah Webster , History of the United States · View
  • “Liberty is the greatest of all earthly blessings. Give us that precious jewel, and you may take everything else. ”
    George Mason , Virginia Convention Debates · View
  • “All men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights. ”
    George Mason , Virginia Declaration of Rights · View
  • “The people are the best guardians of their own rights. ”
    John Dickinson , Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania · View
  • “Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. ”
    John Dickinson , Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania · View
  • “Without virtue, there can be no liberty. ”
    James Wilson , Lectures on Law · View
  • “Liberty ought to be the direct end of government. ”
    Roger Sherman , Notes from the Constitutional Convention · View
  • “The mischiefs of faction are not to be cured by abolishing liberty, but by controlling its effects. ”
    James Madison , Federalist No. 10 · View
  • “Let us then fellow citizens unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , First Inaugural Address · View
  • “The Constitution is the cement of the Union, and the safeguard of our liberties. ”
    James Madison , Speech to the House of Representatives · View
  • “Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. ”
    James Madison , Federalist No. 10 · View
  • “Harmony and affection in social intercourse are essential to liberty and life. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , First Inaugural Address · View
  • “The Christian religion is the best security for the blessings of liberty and the stability of government. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical · View
  • “The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. ”
    James Madison , Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments · View
  • “A Christian cannot fail to be a republican. The religion of Christ is a religion of liberty. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical · View
  • “The Christian religion, when divested of the rags in which they have enveloped it, is a religion of all others most friendly to liberty, science, and the freest expansion of the human mind. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Moses Robinson · View
  • “The God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Notes on the State of Virginia · View
  • “The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles ... and to this we owe our free constitutions of government. ”
    Noah Webster , History of the United States · View
  • “The Christian religion is the best security for the blessings of liberty and the stability of government. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Essays, Literary, Moral and Philosophical · View
  • “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to John Jay · View
  • “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “The virtue of the people is the true bulwark of liberty. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “A free press is the guardian of liberty. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “Let no man forget that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “Liberty is not the gift of princesit is the birthright of man. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “The rights of man are derived from the laws of nature. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “Liberty is a plant of rapid growth when once it has taken root. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “The love of freedom is interwoven in the soul of man. ”
    Mercy Otis Warren , History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution · View
  • “I hope the liberties of our country will be established on a firm foundation. ”
    Lucy Knox , Knox Family Papers · View
  • “True liberty is found in the souls freedom to worship. ”
    Ann Lee , Shaker Historical Records · View
  • “I gave my home to the flames so liberty might prevail. ”
    Rebecca Motte , South Carolina Revolutionary Records · View
  • “I am proud to have printed the Declaration with the names of the signers. ”
    Mary Katherine Goddard , Maryland Journal Archives · View
  • “We resolved to give up tea rather than liberty. ”
    Penelope Barker , Edenton Tea Party Records · View
  • “Let us reflect on the blessings of liberty and the cost of its defense. ”
    Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson , Graeme Park Archives · View
  • “Real liberty is neither found in despotism nor in the extremes of democracy. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Federalist No. 1 · View
  • “A diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty. ”
    James Madison , Letter to George Thompson · View
  • “Give me liberty, or give me death! ”
    Patrick Henry , Speech at the Virginia Convention · View
  • “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. ”
    Patrick Henry , Virginia Ratifying Convention · View
  • “Liberty, according to my metaphysics, is a self-determining power in an intellectual agent. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Thomas Jefferson · View
  • “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. ”
    Benjamin Franklin , Letter to the Abbs Chalut and Arnaud · View
  • “Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. ”
    Samuel Adams , Speech at the State House · View
  • “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to Benjamin Rush · View
  • “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure liberty... if manners are universally corrupt. ”
    Samuel Adams , Letter to James Warren · View
  • “Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of the day. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to P. S. du Pont de Nemours · View
  • “Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people. ”
    John Adams , Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law · View
  • “The diffusion of knowledge among the people is essential to the preservation of our liberties. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to George Wythe · View
  • “Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. ”
    Benjamin Rush , Essay on Education · View
  • “Education is the foundation of a free republic. ”
    Charles Pinckney , Speech to the South Carolina Legislature · View
  • “A diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty. ”
    James Madison , Letter to George Thompson · View
  • “Give me liberty, or give me death! ”
    Patrick Henry , Speech at the Virginia Convention · View
  • “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. ”
    Samuel Adams , Letter to James Warren · View
  • “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. ”
    Patrick Henry , Speech to the Virginia Ratifying Convention · View
  • “The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered the palladium of the liberties of a republic. ”
    James Madison , Federalist Papers · View
  • “A dangerous ambition more often lurks behind the specious mask of zeal for the rights of the people. ”
    Alexander Hamilton , Federalist No. 1 · View
  • “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. ”
    Thomas Jefferson , Letter to William Stephens Smith · View
  • “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. ”
    John Adams , Letter to Abigail Adams · View
  • “Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. ”
    Benjamin Franklin , Notes for a Proposition at the Pennsylvania Assembly · View