Benjamin Franklin Quotes

Here are quotes by one of America's greatest founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, and related quotations about America's founding. For more history, see Founding Fathers.

They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

This gave me occasion to observe, that when Men are employ'd they are best contented. For on the Days they work'd they were good-natur'd and chearful; and with the consciousness of having done a good Days work they spent the Evenings jollily; but on the idle Days they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with their Pork, the Bread, etc. and in continual ill-humour.

To the haranguers of the populace among the ancients, succeed among the moderns your writers of political pamphlets and news-papers, and your coffee-house talkers.

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.

Wish not so much to live long as to live well.

Without Freedom of Thought there can be no such Thing as Wisdom; and no such Thing as Public Liberty, without Freedom of Speech.

Work as if you were to live 100 Years, Pray as if you were to die To-morrow.

[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.

[I]t is a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.

Continued: Founding Fathers Quotes Page   1    2    3  

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