100+ Benjamin Franklin Freedom Quotes: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Minds

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

“Liberty is the great parent of science and virtue.”

“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech.”

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”

“A republic, if you can keep it.”

“Freedom must be exercised to be enjoyed.”

“He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.”

“It is the labor of wise men to secure and perpetuate happiness, not to obtain it.”

“The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.”

“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.”

“A man is not truly free unless he can govern himself.”

“Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed.”

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”

“The day will come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been withholden from them but by the hand of tyranny.”

“No nation was ever ruined by trade.”

“It costs a great deal of money to look poor.”

“It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright.”

“The more laws and orders you make for the government of your people, the more thieves and robbers you will have.”

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”

“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of liberty.”

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.”

“The eyes see more than the ears hear.”

“Speak little, do much.”

“Well done is better than well said.”

“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

“Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.”

“Fish and visitors stink in three days.”

“If you want to know your real opinion of someone, watch the effect produced upon you by the first sight of a letter from him.”

“Silence is an excellent ornament for youth.”

“Great talkers are little doers.”

“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

“The doors of wisdom are never shut.”

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

“Learning is gained by studying much and losing little.”

“To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness.”

“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”

“There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.”

“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.”

“Time wasted is existence; used, is life.”

“Lost time is never found again.”

“The future depends on what we do in the present.”

“Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it.”

“Self-government is the foundation of all American liberty.”

“He that is master of himself will soon be master of others.”

“A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.”

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

“God helps those who help themselves.”

“Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him.”

“Industry pays debts, while despair increases them.”

“Creditors have better memories than debtors.”

“Beware of little expenses: a small leak will sink a great ship.”

“Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy.”

“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”

“Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep.”

“The noblest question in the world is What good may I do in it?”

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

“In free governments, the rulers are the servants and the people their superiors and sovereigns.”

“The constitution presumes innocence until guilt is proven.”

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

“It is the duty of every man to be just, though it may be the interest of none.”

“A country without a national debt incurs the risk of collapse.”

“Where liberty dwells, there is my country.”

“The common man should be protected from the abuses of power.”

“Public good is the great object to be obtained.”

“Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.”

“The excellency of our form of government consists in its being founded on morality.”

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

“Virtue and happiness are mother and daughter.”

“Without justice, mankind could not live together.”

“The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.”

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

“He that has a trade has an estate; he that has a calling has an office of profit and honor.”

“Better slip with foot than tongue.”

“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”

“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”

“A father may turn his son loose, but the child will return when he needs food.”

“Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.”

“He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce.”

“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

“A hungry belly is not a good counsellor.”

“Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.”

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

“All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are lazy, those that are industrious, and those that are wise.”

“Tyranny begins with the smallest encroachments.”

“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.”

“Legislation is driven by compromise, not perfection.”

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

“Power always follows property.”

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

“He that waits upon fortune is never sure of a dinner.”

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

“There are no gains without pains.”

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”

“Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.”

“Little strokes fell great oaks.”

“The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market.”

“A small leak will sink a great ship.”

“One today is worth two tomorrows.”

“He that wastes the hour, wastes the day.”

“Diligence is the mother of success.”

“Happiness depends more upon the internal disposition of the mind than on external circumstances.”

“Many people desire riches, but few are willing to labor for them.”

“Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.”

“He has changed his condition who has lost his contentment.”

“The worst wheel of the cart creaks the most.”

“To be humble to superiors is duty; to equals, courtesy; to inferiors, nobleness.”

“He that has a trade has an estate.”

“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.”

“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it.”

“The eye of a master will do more work than both his hands.”

“Fools multiply folly.”

“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”