John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
3929 Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 3929 |
| AUTHOR: | Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) |
| QUOTATION: | They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Historical Review of Pennsylvania. |
| Note 1. This sentence was much used in the Revolutionary period. It occurs even so early as November, 1755, in an answer by the Assembly of Pennsylvania to the Governor, and forms the motto of Franklin’s “Historical Review,” 1759, appearing also in the body of the work.—Frothingham: Rise of the Republic of the United States, p. 413. [back] |