“We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in.”

— Thomas Paine

The Crisis No. IV.
1770s, The American Crisis (1776–1783)

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Thomas Paine 262

English and American political activist 1737–1809

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Context: There has never been upon the earth a generation of free men and women. It is not yet time to write a creed. Wait until the chains are broken — until dungeons are not regarded as temples. Wait until solemnity is not mistaken for wisdom — until mental cowardice ceases to be known as reverence. Wait until the living are considered the equals of the dead — until the cradle takes precedence of the coffin. Wait until what we know can be spoken without regard to what others may believe. Wait until teachers take the place of preachers — until followers become investigators. Wait until the world is free before you write a creed.
In this creed there will be but one word — Liberty.