“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”

—  William Pitt the Younger

Speech in the House of Commons (18 November, 1783). Compare: "And with necessity, / The tyrant's plea, / excus'd his devilish deeds", John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book iv, line 393.

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William Pitt the Younger 19
British politician 1759–1806

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