This has actually become a common paraphrase of a statement that is believed to have originated with Benjamin Franklin: Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
Misattributed
“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.”
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) British philosopher and political economist
Also attributed to Thomas Jefferson, this is a modern paraphrase of a statement of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Misattributed
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) American author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, …
This was first used by Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its " Reply to the Governor https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-06-02-0107" (11 Nov. 1755) <br class="br">This quote was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania (1759); the book was published by Franklin; its author was Richard Jackson, but Franklin did claim responsibility for some small excerpts http://www.philaprintshop.com/rarephila.html that were used in it. <br class="br">In 1775 Franklin again used this phrase in his contribution to Massachusets Conference https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-21-02-0269 (Objections to Barclay’s Draft Articles of February 16.) - "They who can give up essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." <br class="br">An earlier variant by Franklin in Poor Richard's Almanack (1738): "Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power." <br class="br">Many paraphrased derivatives of this have often become attributed to Franklin: <br class="br">They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.<br>They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.<br>Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.<br>He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.<br>He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.<br>People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.<br>If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both.<br>Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.<br>He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.<br>Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.<br>Those who give up their liberty for more security neither deserve liberty nor security. <br class="br">1750s <br class="br">Source: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-06-02-0107#BNFN-01-06-02-0107-fn-0005
“Those who would trade in their freedom
For their protection deserve neither”
Talib Kweli (1975) American rapper
Going Hard (track 1)
Albums, The Beautiful Struggle (2004)
“But little do or can the best of us:
That little is achieved through Liberty.”
Robert Browning (1812–1889) English poet and playwright of the Victorian Era
Why I am a Liberal.
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
“An old man dies, a little girl lives. Fair trade.”
Frank Miller book That Yellow Bastard
Source: That Yellow Bastard
“Love the little trade which thou hast learned, and be content therewith.”
Marcus Aurelius book Meditations
IV, 31
Meditations (c. 121–180 AD), Book IV
Jimmy Carter (1924) American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981)
It is that unique self-definition which has given us an exceptional appeal, but it also imposes on us a special obligation, to take on those moral duties which, when assumed, seem invariably to be in our own best interests.
Presidency (1977–1981), Inaugural Address (1977)
Milton Friedman (1912–2006) American economist, statistician, and writer
From Created Equal, an episode of the PBS Free to Choose television series (1980, vol. 5 transcript) http://www.freetochoosemedia.org/broadcasts/freetochoose/detail_ftc1980_transcript.php?page=5. <br class="br">Variant: The society that puts equality before freedom will end up with neither. The society that puts freedom before equality will end up with a great measure of both.
Milton Friedman (1912–2006) American economist, statistician, and writer
“Milton Friedman vs Free Lunch Advocate” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qe7fLL25AQ (1980s)
