“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Source: The Love Dare

Source https://gazeta.ua/articles/opinions-journal/_koli-pomizh-hlibom-i-svobodoyu-narod-obiraye-hlib-vin-zreshtoyu-vtrachaye-vse-akscho-obiraye-svobodu-matime-viroschenij-nim-i-nikim-ne-vidibranij-hlib/876589

1850s, The House Divided speech (1858)
Context: The new year of 1854 found slavery excluded from more than half the States by State constitutions, and from most of the national territory by congressional prohibition. Four days later commenced the struggle which ended in repealing that congressional prohibition. This opened all the national territory to slavery, and was the first point gained. But, so far, Congress only had acted; and an indorsement by the people, real or apparent, was indispensable to save the point already gained and give chance for more. This necessity had not been overlooked; but had been provided for, as well as might be, in the notable argument of "squatter sovereignty," otherwise called "sacred right of self government," which latter phrase, though expressive of the only rightful basis of any government, was so perverted in this attempted use of it as to amount to just this: That if any one man, choose to enslave another, no third man shall be allowed to object.

Source: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism

As quoted in Letters of H. L. Mencken (1961) edited by Guy J. Forgue, p. xiii
1940s–present

Source: The Courage to Create (1975), Ch. 5 : The Delphic Oracle as Therapist, p. 100