Who said “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety,…”?

Verified

Benjamin Franklin. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceThis was first used by Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its "Reply to the Governor" (November 11, 1755) Reply to the Governor

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
— Benjamin Franklin
VerifiedThis was first used by Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its "Reply to the Governor" (November 11, 1755) Reply to the Governor · evidenceLiberty

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: This was first used by Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its "Reply to the Governor" (November 11, 1755) Reply to the Governor.

APA

Franklin, B. (n.d.). Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/26454-those-who-would-give-up-essential-liberty-to/

MLA

Franklin, Benjamin. “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/26454-those-who-would-give-up-essential-liberty-to/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Franklin, Benjamin. “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/26454-those-who-would-give-up-essential-liberty-to/.

Related quotes

“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”
— Thomas Jefferson
VerifiedSummary View of the Rights of British America (1774); The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (19 Vols., 1905) edited by Andrew A. Lipscomb and Albert Ellery Bergh, Vol. 1, p. 211 · evidenceDetails & citeLiberty

More quotes by Benjamin Franklin

“The sleeping fox catches no poultry.”
Verified“Father Abraham's Speech,” preface to: “Poor Richard Improved, 1758,” Founders Online, National Archives, accessed 27 May 2020. [Original source: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, vol. 7, October 1, 1756 through March 31, 1758, ed. Leonard W. Labaree. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1963, pp. · evidenceDetails & citeInaction
“The way to see by Faith is to shut the Eye of Reason.”
Verified"July. VII Month.", Poor Richard's Almanack (1758), Philadelphia: B. Frankin and D. Hall · evidenceDetails & citeFaith
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
VerifiedLetter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy (13 November 1789), quoting a popular phrase dated back to the 1716 play The Cobbler of Preston, written by Christopher Bullock. · evidenceDetails & citeCertainty
All 247 Benjamin Franklin quotes →