I'm a big fan of quotes - especially patriotic quotes.
I often find that the arguments I try to make have already been made by people who are smarter, more credible, and more historically significant than me. I am particularly fond of quotes made by our founding fathers. I am always impressed by the wisdom and foresight demonstrated by men who lived, fought, died and built this great nation more than 200 years ago.
A good quote can inspire, strengthen resolve, or challenge a person's orientation on an issue.
I'm always on the hunt for great patriotic quotes.
Can you please take a moment to post one or two of your favorites?
"A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have." Thomas Jefferson
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears its people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will work for those who do not." Thomas Jefferson
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson
"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." Margaret Thatcher
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson
"I am a citizen by choice, not an accident of birth."
Original author unknown.and
"A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it."
Author Unknown
"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free, and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. Act worthy of yourselves." Joseph Warren, Boston Massacre Oration, 1775
"Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them.
The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us."
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
And last, but certainly not least....
"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do."
Voltaire
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed? Patrick Henry, St Johns Church, MA. 3/23/1775
"The longer the firefight, the more shot you get...." Unknown
"Incoming fire always has the right of way..." Unknown
"I hope you make good use of it...." John Adams, 5/1775 O0 O0 O0 :bow: :bow: :bow:
"Just watch....." Hezekiah Wyman, 4/19/1775
TJ is probably my #1 favorite, but Reagan had some pretty good ones too.
'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.' - Ronald Reagan
'Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.' - Ronald Reagan
'Here's my strategy on the Cold War:
We win, they lose.' - Ronald Reagan
"Of liberty I would say that, in the whole plenitude of its extent, it is unobstructed action according to our will. But rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law,' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the right of an individual."
-- Thomas Jefferson to Isaac H. Tiffany, 1819
"It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from the government."
-- Thomas Paine
"Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood."
-- John Adams, A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1765
"With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare, that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers, which our beneficent Creator hath graciously bestowed upon us, the arms we have compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves."
-- Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, Declaration of the Cause and Necessity of Taking up Arms, July 6, 1775
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
"A standing army is one of the greatest mischief that can possibly happen."
-- James Madison
"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
-- James Madison
"I sincerely believe that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies, and that the principles of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."
-- Thomas Jefferson
Great stuff, guys. I'm really enjoying the contributions. Please keep them coming!
Jake
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free." D. Eisenhower
"There is no victory at bargain basement prices." D. Eisenhower
"Every Marine is first, and foremost, a Rifleman. All other conditions are secondary." Gen Gray, USMC
"The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle." Gen Pershing, US Army
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
"The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." James Madison
"A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained in arms, is the best most natural defense of a free country." James Madison
"To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain." Louis L'Amour
Not really a quote but more of a poem...
One man awake awakens another,
The second awakens his next door neighbor,
And three awake can rouse the town,
and turn the whole place upside down.
And many awake can raise such a fuss,
That it finally awakens the rest of us.
One man up with dawn in his eyes - multiplies.
Lawrence Tribble
Than one of my new favorites, seen on a sign while driving down the road....
Be not simply good...
....Be simply good for something
"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves"
French philosopher Bertrand de Jouvenel
"God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates, to be, under him, over the people, for his own glory, and the public good: and, to this end, hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evildoers." ~John Knox
"Citizens are responsible for the religious, ethical, moral policies of those elected to office." ~John Knox
"You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time." ~John Knox
"Freedom has a thousand charms to show,
That slaves, howe'er contented, never know."
~William Cowper
"Nations grown corrupt
Love bondage more than liberty;
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty."
~John Milton
"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes." T. Jefferson
"My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." T. Jefferson
"The tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time wth the blood of patriots an tyrants." T. Jefferson
"Some people spend an entire lifetime woneing if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." Pres. R. Reagan
"The Marines I have see around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!"
First Lady E. Roosevelt
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Franklin's Contributions to the Conference on February 17 (III) Fri, Feb 17, 1775
Wow! These quotes are truly rich in content and history. Thank you, to everyone who has been contributing. I hope this thread becomes a great resource for fellow Appleseed compatriots.
Jake
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty." Thomas Jefferson
-fb
I don't know if this is appropriate but this is my favorite quote of all time. The beauty in his writing and the power of what he was saying is remarkable.
" I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memories of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be your to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom"
TK
That was Lincoln to the woman who had lost all her sons, wasn't it?
.
'Live Free Or Die. Death Is Not The Worst Of Evils.'
John Stark of New Hampshire, of Bennington fame
'But we who had something more at Stake than fighting for six Pence Pr Day kept our ground.'
Henry Dearborn of New Hampshire, on the victory at Saratoga
'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'
Thomas Jefferson & Friends
'If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace,
one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known, that we
are at all times ready for war.'
George Washington
'It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself,
and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his
immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and
stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn.'
George Washington
'From my cold, dead hands!'
Charlton Heston
Lethargy is the forerunner of death for the public liberty. John Adams.
This is at the heart of Appleseed.
Quote from: EZ3 on November 04, 2010, 07:20:14 PM
That was Lincoln to the woman who had lost all her sons, wasn't it?
O0
I am impressed
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/bixby.htm
A truly amazing man
"Only a vertuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."
-Benjamine Franklin
"It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They prominse to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."
-Daniel Webster
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
-Thomas Jefferson
"A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people"
-James Madison
Well, since yall have used up most of my favorite quotes I'll put this in:
"There is one kind of robber whom the law does not strike at, and who steals what is most precious to men: time."
- Napoleon Bonaparte
"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
"And Peter twirled the jangling keys in weariness and wrath.
Ye have read, ye have heard, ye have thought," he said, "and the tale is yet to run:
By the worth of the body that once ye had, GIVE ANSWER - what have ye done?"
- Rudyard Kipling
"I swear on the alter of God eternal hostility to every form of Tyranny over the minds of men."
- Thomas Jefferson
"Raise ye the stone or cleave the wood to make a path more fair or flat.
Lo, it is black already with blood some Son of Martha spilled for that.
Not as a ladder from earth to Heaven, nor as a witness to any creed.
But simple service, simply given, to his own kind in their common need."
- Rudyard Kipling
"Life faculties, production - in other words, individuality, liberty, property - this is man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it....
Each of us has a natural right - from God - to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. These are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two. For what are our faculties but the extension of our individuality? And what is property but an extension of our faculties?"
-Fredric Bastiat (1801-1850) in his book "The Law". <----get that little book and read it, make sure your college aged children read it too, indepth, converse together as a family the principles this book demonstrates, very important.
"Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth- more than ruin- more even than death....
THOUGHT is subversive and revolutionary, destructive and terrible, THOUGHT is merciless to privilige, established instituitions and comfortable habit.
THOUGHT looks into the pit of hell and is not afraid.
THOUGHT is great and swift and free, the light of the world and the chief glory of man."
- Bertrand Russell
The best for last :
"Posterity, you will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your Freedom. I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I will repent in heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it."
- John Adams
Brett out.
Voortrekker - Love the Ayn Rand quote! It's one of my favorites from Atlas Shrugged.
...Rand Was Right...read Atlas Shrugged.
Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies..
If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency,
first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks,
will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.
Quote from: The Kid on November 04, 2010, 07:11:17 PM
I don't know if this is appropriate but this is my favorite quote of all time. The beauty in his writing and the power of what he was saying is remarkable.
" I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memories of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be your to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom"
TK
That was the quote, from Abraham Lincoln, to a Mother that lost Five Sons in the Civil War.
The movie, Saving Private Ryan, was based on Her Loss.
.........
What kind of megalomaniac quotes himself?
----AFTERMATH (check his signature line)
:cool2:
Quote from: jollynator on November 05, 2010, 11:07:03 AM
"It is only in those societies where the people are armed can Force be multiplied by a number less than one and the Force increases in power. Those numbers include but are not limited to .223, .308, .357, .38, and .45."- Me.
I liked it. Thanks for the contribution, jollynator. O0
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished, unless they kill in large numbers to the sound of trumpets."
-- Voltaire, 1771
"Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force... she might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.... "
-- John Quincy Adams, July 4, 1821
"Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government."
-- Henry David Thoreau
run like pine trees
Quote from: asminuteman on November 04, 2010, 08:00:54 PM
author is not remembered. (keep thinking B Franklin)
this was hammered in my brain by my parents......forward thinking I might say
"Lest thee forget history, yee are doomed to repete it"
I wonder if George borrowed from Ben, or Ben is erroneously credited? The similarities are interesting, but Ben is succinct.
"'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.' "
at "Google Answers: Who said "Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It"?" 5 Nov. 2010 http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=495329 (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=495329).
See also " ...instead of what American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) actually said: 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it' (from 'Life of Reason I').[/color]"
At ""Those who misquote George Santayana are condemned to paraphrase him." | NowPublic News Coverage." 5 Nov. 2010 http://www.nowpublic.com/those-who-misquote-george-santayana-are-condemned-paraphrase-him (http://www.nowpublic.com/those-who-misquote-george-santayana-are-condemned-paraphrase-him).
Tom
The question is/was rhetorical, these were men educated by a system and methods lost to history, so we can learn the lesson or repeat our mistakes again.
added 11/6 dr144
Burke and Churchill have a couple good ones as well..
But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint.
-Edmund Burke
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
-Edmund Burke
People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors.
-Edmund Burke
Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises, for never intending to go beyond promise, it costs nothing.
-Edmund Burke
It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do.
-Edmund Burke
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
-Winston Churchill
Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.
-Winston Churchill
And as much as I dislike his politics, these are two of my favorites...
On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died.
-Adlai E. Stevenson
Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.
-Adlai E. Stevenson
Removed by author: not a quote -- wrong place to post, sorry.
See appropriate quote by Colcord below.
"That our governments would participate in usury and financial speculation, despite these being accepted as useful elements of Enterprise, impresses me as being a dastardly thing. The main purpose of the public servant, and the Departments thereof, is to protect and maintain the Republic and citizenry. When the servant becomes the master of the public, and the goal becomes that of seeking reward through risk or deception of a nation, marks a time where the prosecution of criminals becomes of chief importance."
Reverend Ethan Smith
When the last dutiful & humble petition from Congress received no other Answer than declaring us Rebels, and out of the King's protection, I from that Moment look'd forward to a Revolution & Independence, as the only means of Salvation; and will risque the last Penny of my Fortune, & the last Drop of my Blood upon the Issue.
George Mason, October 2, 1778
After long deliberation, here are a dozen. And I can't pick my favorite.
"We might have avoided 9/11 if we had a greater respect for the 2nd Amendement."
"Our country's founders cherished liberty, not democracy."
"The people in this country like a strong president...We should have a strong president, strong enough to resist the temptation of taking power that a president shouldn't have."
"I don't want to run the world; I don't know how to run the world; the constitution doesn't give me the authority to run the world; we ought to mind our own business!"
"Let it not be said that we did nothing."
"We're being overtaxed, overregulated, and overrun by bureaucrats, the Founders would be ashamed of us for what we're putting up with!"
"Let me see if I get this right. We need to borrow $10 billion from China, and then we give it to Musharraf, who is a military dictator, who overthrew an elected government. And then we go to war, we lose all these lives promoting democracy...in Iraq. I mean, what's going on here?"
Truth is treason in the empire of lies.
'The freedom message does not divide us, the message of freedom brings us together!'
Don't Steal, the Government Hates Competition.
"I want to be president mainly for what I don't want to do: I don't want to run your life, I don't want to run the economy, and I don't want to police the world."
"Setting a good example is a far better way to spread ideals than through force of arms"
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson
..You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the grace of the Eternal God, will rout you out..
..Andrew Jackson on the renewal of the charter of the first bank to the second bank of the United States, to own the power of our currency instead of Congress..
Quote from: B-Line on November 10, 2010, 01:41:07 AM
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." -- Thomas Jefferson
Yep. This is one of my favorite T.J. quotes.
There are three reasons to own a gun: To protect yourself and your family, to hunt dangerous and delicious animals and to keep the King of England out of your face.
~ Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski (Krusty the Clown)
Patrick Henry "The distinction between Virginians and New Englanders are no more, I am not a Virginian but an American."
"Is life so dear, our peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!"
Quote from: dalesp on November 10, 2010, 12:29:17 PM
There are three reasons to own a gun: To protect yourself and your family, to hunt dangerous and delicious animals and to keep the King of England out of your face.
~ Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski (Krusty the Clown)
O0
In that vein...
"We know nothing about them, their language, their history or what they look like. But we can assume this. They stand for everything we don't stand for. Also they told me you guys look like dorks!"- Zapp Brannigan
Seriously:
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
"No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him."
"To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father's has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association--the guarantee to everyone of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it. "
"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious."
"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
"It is strangely absurd to suppose that a million of human beings, collected together, are not under the same moral laws which bind each of them separately."
--All of these from Thomas Jefferson
From my all-time favorite quotable person, H.L. Mencken:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
"The most dangerous man to any government is the man who is able to think things out... without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost inevitably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, intolerable."
" I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket."
- Smedley Butler
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animated contest for freedom....Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; may your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
-Samual Adams
Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Ronald Reagan
I can make a firm pledge, under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.
Barack Obama
"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism." Teddy Rosevelt
continued...
"When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all.
This is just as true of the man who puts "native" before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.
The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English- Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian- Americans, or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality than with the other citizens of the American Republic."
12 October 1915 Teddy Roosevelt
60 replies and no one has quoted Levi Preston...
"Young man what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: We always governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn't mean we should."
It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.
Ronald Reagan
In politics the middle way is none at all.
John Adams
A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
Thomas Jefferson
QuoteIf only one has a why at the center - a vigorous, robust why, one which he recognizes and owns - then he can survive any how - Victor Frankl
May not be directly American-patriotic, but it's certainly what I look to when the going gets tough.
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
~ Mark Twain
This:
The Loyalist Bradford brothers, Philadelphia printers, wrote the following story which appeared in the London Chronicle on August 17, 1775: "This province has raised 1,000 riflemen, the worst of whom will put a ball into a man's head at a distance of 150 or 200 yards, therefore advise your officers who shall hereafter come out to America to settle their affairs in England before their departure".
I often use it to frame up the Redcoat. It is from the Bradford brothers who were Tory loyalists/Philadelphia printers who owned a newspaper.
I often use it to frame up the Redcoat. It is from the Bradford brothers who were Tory loyalists/Philadelphia printers who owned a newspaper.
This one is a little mushy, but a favorite. I even used it in a recent Best Man Speech.
"There is no Greater Hapiness for a Man, than approching a door at the end of the day, knowing someone on the other side of the door, is someone waiting for the sound of his footsteps." --Ronald Reagan
This one struck me as fitting in here on the forum, considering the misunderstandings and hurt feelings we sometimes see.
"You and I ought not to die before we explain ourselves to each other."
John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, July 15, 1813
Even when working for the same ends there can be misunderstandings.
Another couple of goodies, that may have been presented:
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall e directly proportional as to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." George Washington
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch; Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
Benjamin Franklin
America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Alex DeTocqueville
Quote from: Sprocket on November 12, 2010, 09:35:31 PM
60 replies and no one has quoted Levi Preston...
"Young man what we meant in going for those Redcoats was this: We always governed ourselves and we always meant to. They didn't mean we should."
I quote ol' Levi whenever I tell the strikes. I like that story about him being asked 'Why did you fight?'
That and John Adams about 'When was the American Revolution won?' I always start my strikes story, no matter what strike, with that question.
Answer: Before the first shot was fired. It was won in the hearts and minds of the colonists before that day in Lexington.
Quote from: Old Dog on November 28, 2010, 01:13:29 PM
This one struck me as fitting in here on the forum, considering the misunderstandings and hurt feelings we sometimes see.
"You and I ought not to die before we explain ourselves to each other."
John Adams, letter to Thomas Jefferson, July 15, 1813
Even when working for the same ends there can be misunderstandings.
Quoted For Truth, but also to ask if you've found a collection of Adams's letters to Jefferson.
I downloaded the collection of Jefferson's letters (in four files) from Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/j#a1638 (http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/j#a1638)
Unfortunately neither this site nor the Library of Congress site has collections of Adams's letters.
"Nuts!" - Anthony C. McAuliffe
I see many of my favorites have been presented, so I offer these:
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them." J.B.Books/John Wayne in The Shootist.
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves." --William Pitt
"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money"-Alexis de Tocqueville
" The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance." Cicero ~ 55 BC
Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrongs which will be imposed on them. Fredrick Douglass
A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. (George Bernard Shaw)
Still, if you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than live as slaves.--Winston Churchill
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.
~Abraham Lincoln~
If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed. (Mark Twain)
I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. (Winston Churchill)
9th: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10th: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
"To ban guns because criminals use them is to tell the innocent and law-abiding that their rights and liberties depend not on their own conduct, but on the conduct of the guilty and the lawless, and that the law will permit them to have only such rights and liberties as the lawless will allow." Jeff Snyder
"The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win and cheat if necessary." Clint Smith
"If you're not shootin', you should be loadin'. If you're not loadin', you should be movin', if you're not movin', someone's gonna cut your head off and put it on a stick." Clint Smith
"If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That's ridiculous. If you have a gun, what in the hell do you have to be paranoid for." Clint Smith
"If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck." Clint Smith
"It is interesting to hear certain kinds of people insist that the citizen cannot fight the government. This would have been news to the men of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. The citizen most certainly can fight the government, and usually wins when he tries. Such fighting is horrible to contemplate, but will continue to dominate brute strength." --Col. Jeff Cooper
and finally........
Youth and exuberance are always outdone by old age and treachery.
Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
CSHR
Mine are,,
"Without wishing to damp the ardor of curiosity or influence the freedom of inquiry, I will hazard a prediction that, after the most industrious and impartial researchers, the longest liver of you all will find no principles, institutions or systems of education more fit in general to be transmitted to your posterity than those you have received from your ancestors." --John Adams, letter to the young men of the Philadelphia, 1798
"A free people ought to be armed."
- George Washington
"Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth."
- George Washington
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
- George Washington
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin
"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
- Thomas Jefferson
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson
"The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
- Thomas Jefferson (quoting 18th century criminologist Cesare Beccaria)
"A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks." - Thomas Jefferson
"The Constitution of most of our states (and of the United States) assert that all power is inherent in the people; that they may exercise it by themselves; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed."
- Thomas Jefferson
"On every occasion [of Constitutional interpretation] let us carry ourselves back to the time when the Constitution was adopted, recollect the spirit manifested in the debates, and instead of trying [to force] what meaning may be squeezed out of the text, or invented against it, [instead let us] conform to the probable one in which it was passed."
- Thomas Jefferson
and a story of George Washington
July 9th, 1755
Monongahela river battle
French Indian War
The cheif scorned the foolish British soliers as they marched in perfect rank before his well hidden warriors. While the troops whom never broke ranks were good fodder for his marksmen, it was the officers that were sought out for their behavior. Riding on horse back, well exposed, bright red uniforms, yes these were the targets of a true warrior.
As the ambush raged on over 1,000 of the 1,459 British troops remained while only 30 of the Indian warriors were injured. The chief ordered his
Riflemen to aim at the foolish one on horse back, soon only one remained.
The warriors Ottawa, Chippewa and Huron all focused their fire on this lone officer, twice his horse was shot from under him and twice he remounted another horse and continued to rally his dying troops. The Chiefs riflemen continued to fire still this officer remained unhurt. 12 15 20 more rounds were fired without any hitting their mark.
In disbelief the chief ordered his men to stop and pull away, the officer
surprised but thankful was able to form a retreat of the remaining troops and moved to safety. later that evening at the camp fire The Lt. Colonel found
17 holes in his uniform,
Fifteen years later this Lt. Colonel after serving his country moved back to pennsylvania when the Cheif that led the attack heard news of this, he arranged a meeting with this man who could not die.
When asked why the ambush stopped so abruptly and the Kings troops were
allowed to retreat, the chief answered all of my riflemen are well trained, they live by their gun they do not miss. You would not fall when all of my Braves fired upon You. I knew that there was God protecting the man who could not be shot with respect we left.
George washington thanked the Chief for his honesty. And for respecting
God.
Here's my entire stash - attached.
PH
Quote from: PHenry on November 29, 2010, 03:24:30 PM
Here's my entire stash - attached.
PH
O0
I like your compilation, and will be sharing them with my friends. Please keep me apprised of any additions you make in the future. :D Some day I'll be well enough read to have a compilation of my own...until then, I'm stealing yours.
There is no stealing in Appleseeds. It's called mentoring and I am merely the product of mine. It began with Junior Birdman at my first event, where Fred told the history and Riflewoman did the check in. Dragonwood was there somewhere, although I did not meet her until my second event where she was sb. Then Atticus took me under his wing and showed me how to engage shooters on the line and which pocket to stuff my ego in (by example as he has none).
I stole, er, I mean borrowed my three strikes from DonD, along with several DOM stories, to which I added brave women. I learnt how to improvise from ColyCat and how to get the attention of shooters from Son of Martha. All I came with was some energy and a desire to serve. The rest I "stole" from others.
The more I read about the Founders, the more I realize that we the people are to blame for our current situation. They showed us the way long ago and warned us about all of the potential pitfalls into which we have allowed ourselves to fall. Their wisdom is need-to-know info for all Americans and it falls upon Appleseeders to spread the word.
Keep stealing and spreading the word. You are welcome to any info I have, from my three strikes to shoot boss kit list or position demo cheat sheets.
My First Pick (category: too long or a sound bite but clearly worth committing to memory):
"It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worth cause; who, if he wins, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
Paragraph from Man In The Arena, cherished and posted by Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock USMC (ret.) on the wall of his "bunker" in the Land of Bad Things.
My Second Pick (category: short enough for a sound bite that "bites"):
"Why, they couldn't hit an elephant at this distance!"
Major General John Sedgewick, Commander Union IV Corps, moments before his death from rifle fire from Confederate Riflemen, Spotsylvania, VA, MAy 9, 1864.
I believe this came from Sven via Minnesota .
I use it at every shoot --" Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent cannot: Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genuis cannot: Unrewarded genius is almost a cliche'.
Education cannot: The world is full of educated dererlicts.
Persistence and determination alone are invincible .The phrase "press on" has solved,and always will solve, the problems of the human race .
Calvin Coolige sp?
'
"Our own Country's Honor, all call upon us for a vigorous and manly exertion, and if we now shamefully fail, we shall become infamous to the whole world.
Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.
The Eyes of all our Countrymen are now upon us, and we shall have their blessings, and praises, if happily we are the instruments of saving them from the Tyranny mediated against them.
Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the whole world, that a Freeman contending for Liberty on his own ground is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth."
-G. Washington, 2-July-1776
" No King, but King Jesus " possibly Pastor John Muellenberg
Likely what went through Gen. Washington's mind when asked " will you now be King?"
"A government which does not rest on the sympathies of its subjects, cannot long abide;...human institutions, when not connected with human prosperity and progress, must fall...by violence from within, if not without. And who shall lament their fall?"
--William H. Prescott
Prescott wrote this in reference to the surpisingly rapid fall of the mighty Aztec Empire, but it could as easily apply to our own American Revolution or dozens of other historical situations.
"Give me Liberty, or I'll get up and take it!" On a t-shirt I saw recently
Quote from: PHenry on November 29, 2010, 03:24:30 PM
Here's my entire stash - attached.
PH
Just took a moment to read through your "stash" Thanks for the great contribution!
Give me Liberty or Give me Death...
I'm a black and white kinda guy.
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. - Adolf Hitler
I came across this one a few minutes ago. Not exactly patriotic but it is thought provoking.
Quote from: StoneDog on December 16, 2010, 03:12:08 PM
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. - Adolf Hitler
I came across this one a few minutes ago. Not exactly patriotic but it is thought provoking.
Agreed. Very thought provoking. I just watched "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" on the History channel this week. The seires took particular time to document the life of the German civilian during the reign of Hitler. Facinating.
~TravelPatriot
Quote from: dalesp on November 10, 2010, 12:29:17 PM
There are three reasons to own a gun: To protect yourself and your family, to hunt dangerous and delicious animals and to keep the King of England out of your face.
~ Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofski (Krusty the Clown)
I love this. I never thought the simpsons could have this much common sense.
Speaking of sense--
TANSTAAFL: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
--John Stuart Mill
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." ("General Introduction to Psychoanalysis," S. Freud)
Quote from: sashok.privetov on December 16, 2010, 08:20:27 PM
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." ("General Introduction to Psychoanalysis," S. Freud)
This quote is very unique, indeed. ;D #)
~TravelPatriot
"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."
--Lenin
We're all Americans here. Let's not forget what that means.
Quote from: Cincinnatus on December 16, 2010, 09:03:28 PM
"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."
--Lenin
Now why is it that someone immediately thinks of lenin after I post?
Quote from: sashok.privetov on December 16, 2010, 09:20:52 PM
Quote from: Cincinnatus on December 16, 2010, 09:03:28 PM
"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."
--Lenin
Now why is it that someone immediately thinks of lenin after I post?
**) **)
I think I understand Dart67eb's concerns about the Lenin quote. I probably should have attached an explanation to it. I suspect many of us agree that some who take up the responsibility of governing distrust the people who put them in office. Too often they consider themselves more enlightened than their fellow citizens and decide how much freedom they should be allowed.
Obviously, I disagree with Lenin just as I do those who have knowingly or unknowingly become his disciples.
Quote from: dart67eb on December 16, 2010, 09:17:48 PM
We're all Americans here. Let's not forget what that means.
Are we all Americans here? I hope this is not so.
"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren," ~Thomas PaineAre patriotism and liberty uniquely American?
Yes, the root of this thread is American patriotism, from which springs the tree of our liberty.
But let us not forget that the world is filled with a human race who envies that which we believe is "uniquely American."
And throughout history, those liberties, whether American, Russian or German have been attacked and oppressed by regimes that would seek to shackle this value system we hold so dear.
Should we quote Lenin, to remind us that we are a people of Washington? I believe we should.
Lenin believed that liberty should be rationed. Washington believed that liberty must be entrusted to the hands of the American people.
Quote from: Cincinnatus on December 16, 2010, 09:03:28 PM
"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."
--Lenin
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply,
perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." --George WashingtonShould we silence the words of Hitler so that history may forget his path to oppression? I believe we must not.
Hitler believed an ignorant people could be ruled. Our founding fathers believed that an educated people should rule themselves.
Quote from: StoneDog on December 16, 2010, 03:12:08 PM
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. - Adolf Hitler
"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government." ~Thomas JeffersonThe words of Hitler and Lenin serve to define our patriotism as much as the words of Washington and Jefferson. Without contrast, the actions of our forefathers cease to be heroic.
We cannot forget what makes us different. Our country is unique and envied by the world because we chose to be different. If we choose to forget what makes us different, then different we will cease to be.
~TravelPatriot
Quote from: TravelPatriot on December 16, 2010, 03:52:36 PM
Quote from: StoneDog on December 16, 2010, 03:12:08 PM
How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. - Adolf Hitler
I came across this one a few minutes ago. Not exactly patriotic but it is thought provoking.
Agreed. Very thought provoking. I just watched "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany" on the History channel this week. The seires took particular time to document the life of the German civilian during the reign of Hitler. Facinating.
~TravelPatriot
I saw a brief portion of that documentary --- The part that I recall was "When Hitler was appointed chancellor " With one word, appointed as opposed to the correct word Elected ---history channel changed an important fact regarding democracy --the fact a Hitler can get elected and the rest is well history
JA
ooooops so sorry for the thread hi --jack --feel free to delete or move .
Tr4avel Patriot you are so good at starting these new threads ^5
JA
"Never trust a government that doesn't trust its own citizens with guns"
~Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up liberty to gain security will deserve neither and lose both"
~Benjamin Franklin
"No man's life, liberty or fortune is safe while our legislature is in session."
~Mark Twain
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on December 17, 2010, 12:50:31 PM
~TravelPatriot
I saw a brief portion of that documentary --- The part that I recall was "When Hitler was appointed chancellor " With one word, appointed as opposed to the correct word Elected ---history channel changed an important fact regarding democracy --the fact a Hitler can get elected and the rest is well history
JA
Also important to note German philosophers: Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx... The collectivized ideas of these men were pervasive in German society. National socialism was just another part of what they were fed from academia. Yes, they elected him.
A lot of that has been fed here, but there are some that get individual rights and the nature of self governance that was the foundational principle of this nation. Maybe a more recent quote by a philosopher that resided in America is appropriate.
"The Right to the Pursuit of Happiness means man's right to live for himself, to choose what constitutes his own private, personal, individual happiness, and to work for its achievement so long as he respects the same right in others." - Rand
Thanx Super Dave --well stated how the govt schools and the philosophys of these nalt socialists were promoted to fullfill the NAZI agenda.
I wonder how the "History Channel" could have made such a huge error regarding the democratic election of Hitler :o
Bet we could add biased media to the list you outlined O0
Has anyone seen a doucumentary on Rand? I understand her book was the 2 most influencial book ever written .
I was never exposed to her philosophy in all my years of schooling ----including several philosophy classes
JA
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." - Thomas Jefferson
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on December 17, 2010, 08:57:03 PM
Thanx Super Dave --well stated how the govt schools and the philosophys of these nalt socialists were promoted to fullfill the NAZI agenda.
I wonder how the "History Channel" could have made such a huge error regarding the democratic election of Hitler :o
Bet we could add biased media to the list you outlined O0
Yeah, it's strange, isn't it...
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on December 17, 2010, 08:57:03 PM
Has anyone seen a doucumentary on Rand? I understand her book was the 2 most influencial book ever written .
I was never exposed to her philosophy in all my years of schooling ----including several philosophy classes
JA
I haven't seen a documentary. There are some books, and some are quite critical of her personally.
Atlas Shrugged, yeah, very influential. I have a minor in philosophy, and Rand was non existent. She has a lot of non fiction that is well worth reading.
And, if you didn't know, the movie, Atlas Shrugged (Part I, as the book is big and in three parts anyway) is going to be released April 15, 2011. **) It's no coincidence on the date either...
These are some of mine
"....with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
Our first Congressmen
"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us....that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
A. Lincoln
"That's what we do. We're Americans"
USN Corpsman
I didn't see the history channel's Hitler documentary. Actually, I receive neither cable nor satellite TV broadcasts. However, Hitler WAS appointed German chancellor by president Paul von Hindenburg. Hitler lost his bid for Germany's presidency, garnering roughly one third of the vote. Hindenburg appointed Hitler his chancellor hoping to harness the energy and power of the National Socialists for his own ends. The point remains the same. Hitler rose to power in Weimar Germany through legal and democratic means. It underscores the necessity of a vigilant, well-informed, and virtuous electorate.
Although I'm a latecomer, I'm enjoying the discussion.
Ok, as much as I like the History Channel and would be happy to discuss Hitler at length, it appears that we have officially wandered from the theme of this thread.
Out of respect for the guidelines of this forum, let's bring our comments back to topic. This has been a great thread; rich in content and camaraderie. As we are guests of the Appleseed forum, we should take a moment to review our boundaries.
(this reminder is as much for me as anyone) ~~:)
(I happen to know where to find these guidelines because someone kindly, but firmly, called them to my attention after I bent, err... broke a few) @)
General Board Etiquette:
http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=10226.0
1. This is a family-friendly board. Do not use profanity or make offensive or lewd statements
2. Refrain from name calling or character bashing of other posters
3. Use proper language, grammar and spelling
4. Keep the discussion on topic - do not thread drift, but instead start a new topic ~~:)
5. Disagree, but do it respectfully (see bullets #1-4)
6. And most important: Think Twice, Post Once
In the spirit of things, and quite possibly a candidate motto for Appleseed.....here is another great quote! O0
"We must all hang together, gentlemen, else, we shall most assuredly hang separately."
~Benjamin Franklin
The power to tax involves the power to destroy.
--John Marshall
And one more...
"Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised."
--Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Liked this one so much I added it to my forum profile.
"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe ... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. -- From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the remedy." - Daniel Webster, 1837
Seems I've heard something like this somewhere more recently. :cool2:
My favorite quote is one we hear often (at least I have) at Appleseeds by John Adams.
"Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present Generation to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it."
"Laws that forbid the carring of arms. . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
Thomas Jefferson
I have a right to fail. It is only through my failure that I found my salvation.
~ Glenn Beck on Social Justice - 6/15/2011
John Adams "Posterity" quote.
"But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it."
~ Lysander Spooner
"Ever since I arrived to a state of manhood...I have felt a sincere passion for liberty...so that the first...attempt at Lexington, to enslave America, thoroughly electrified my mind, and fully determined me to take part with my country."
--Ethan Allen, A Narrative of Col.
Ethan Allen's Captivity, 1779
"In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"
-what Ethan Allen claims he answered when asked by what authority he was seizing Ft Ticonderoga. He reportedly said "Come out of there you old rat", or words to that effect.
Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty. - Thomas Jefferson
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
- Speech to the Virginia House of Burgesses, May, 1765
Source: http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/patrick-henry-quotes.html
I like this one for its concise, unadulterated pragmatism. I think it should be required of all school children to memorize and recite it, if for no other reason than to confound those who say talking and understanding will lead to universal peace.
The quote; "the die (dice) is cast, Now blows must decide."
King George, after hearing the news of violence in America against royal troops.
This could not be considered a patriotic quote but it is most certainly part of our patriotic history.
Quote from: sashok.privetov on December 16, 2010, 09:20:52 PM
Quote from: Cincinnatus on December 16, 2010, 09:03:28 PM
"It is true that liberty is precious; so precious that it must be carefully rationed."
--Lenin
Now why is it that someone immediately thinks of lenin after I post?
That was too funny **) Hope you have been well my friend.
"Let's Roll"
- Todd Beamer
Todd Beamer, Sept. 11, 2001, just before he and other passengers attacked terrorists controlling United Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The White House may have been the target.
Oh boy, but there are so many good ones!
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen. -Samuel Adams
If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin. -Samuel Adams
The republic was not established by cowards, and cowards will not preserve it. -Elmer Davis
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. -Nathan Hale
It's better to die on your feet than live on your knees. -Emiliano Zapata
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death! -Patrick Henry
Soapbox, Ballot Box, Ammo Box... Use in That Order. -Unknown
And to remind us what we are up against...
Democracy is too prevalent in America, and claims the greatest attention to prevent its increase. -General Gage
There is no reason for anyone in this country -- anyone except a police officer or military person -- to buy, to own, to have, to use a handgun. The only way to control handgun use in this country is to prohibit the guns. -Bill Clinton
We can't be so fixated on our desire to preserve the rights of ordinary Americans... -Bill Clinton
The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party. -Mao Tse Tung
If I could have banned them all - 'Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns' - I would have! -Diane Feinstein
"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!"
~Thomas Jefferson
One man with courage makes a majority. - Andrew Jackson
A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue. - James Monroe
A man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. - James Madison
To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse. - John Quincy Adams
at: http://www.wxpnews.com/archives/wxpnews-475-20110419.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Those who trade liberty for security have neither. ~ John Adams
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"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759
May have been posted before, but all ring true.
Tom
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, Brave, Hated, and Scorned. When his cause succeeds however,the timid join him, For then it costs nothing to be a Patriot" ~Mark Twain
"We get what we deserve!" anonymous poly-sci professor addressing those who don't vote.
"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, - the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, & the fruits acquired by it." - Thomas Jefferson
The attached file was published by The Federalist Papers. It is a 90 page compilation of quotations by the founding fathers. Please download a copy of this document for yourself. In addition, you can find this document at the following location:
http://www.thefederalistpapers.org/founders/free-ebook-quotes-from-our-founding-fathers-volume-1
For those of us in the Alarm List Category, my favorite quote is:
Speaking of Diplomacy ...
"I ain't as good as I once was,
But, I'm as good once as I ever was"
:~ :~ :~ **) ^:)^
POP
This is my personal favorite.
"Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees"- La Pasionara
"The means of defence against foreign danger, have
been always the instruments of tyranny at home."
~James Madison
Speech, Constitutional
Convention (1787-06-29)
"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
~James Madison, 1794
- Annals of Congress (1794-01-10)
"Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!" ~Samuel Adams
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf" -- attributed, correctly or incorrectly, to George Orwell
and of course,
"I went to this Appleseed thing when I was but a whippersnapper and I learned that I didn't really know how to shoot like I thought I did. I was embarrassed. I worked at it all summer and finally got it and went back and got my Rifleman patch. That AQT is a real b***h with a musket. It was hard, but it was worth it. More people should do it. We need more riflemen in this country for the likely coming conflict." -- George Washington, 1774
I just love this thread! I have been using this in my history presentations.
The people are Protestants; and of that kind which is the most adverse to all implicit submission of mind and opinion. This is a persuasion not only favorable to Liberty, but built upon it. - Edmund Burke
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (Roman Senator and Orator, 56-117 a.d.):
QuoteThe more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.
The current United States Code of Federal Regulations has at least 200 volumes comprising some 150,000 pages and is updated each year.
-steve
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty"
~Thomas Jefferson
Author and Time unknown to me!
"They have us surrounded, The poor Bastards"!
" I have seen the Enemy and he is us"!
Quote from: Sly223 on October 27, 2011, 12:40:20 PM
Author and Time unknown to me!
"They have us surrounded, The poor Bastards"!
" I have seen the Enemy and he is us"!
"They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards." -- Creighton Abrams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:United_States_Army/Quotes)
IIRC, this was uttered during the "Battle of the Bulge" in WWII.
Both of these quotes appear elsewhere on this list. I put them to image some time back and figure they fit well here: -stevec
"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." ~ John Adams
Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.
~George Washington
Quote from: JustJeff on October 27, 2011, 12:54:21 PM
Quote from: Sly223 on October 27, 2011, 12:40:20 PM
Author and Time unknown to me!
"They have us surrounded, The poor Bastards"!
"They've got us surrounded again, the poor bastards." -- Creighton Abrams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:United_States_Army/Quotes)
IIRC, this was uttered during the "Battle of the Bulge" in WWII.
This is usually attributed to Chesty Puller, I believe.
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C. S. Lewis
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
--Arthur Schopenhauer
"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under". ~Ronald Reagan
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them... -- Richard Henry Lee
A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government. -- George Washington
Tyranny is the exercise of some power over a man, which is not warranted by law,... or necessary for the public safety. A people can never be deprived of their liberties, while they retain in their own hands, a power sufficient to any other power in the state.
Noah Webster, "Ownership of Real Estate the Basis of Liberty" (1787)
Liberty once lost is lost forever. When the People once surrender their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it. ~ John Adams
This past weekend, being Mother's Day, my mom, TruTenacity, presented some history focused on the women of the War for Independence at our event in Idaho. She read a quote from a book that I really liked and thought I would share.
"[As you consider your heritage remember a vital player was the] strong, thoughtful woman, who so thoroughly believed in the justness of her cause, that no sacrifice was too great so that liberty be won. The sorrow of separation was the only hardship. The danger, the toil, the privation, and the planning were all a part of the training she had received alongside the man, who now by reason of tradition and custom and the accident of physical strength was the one to bear musket or sword. Him she could trust, and their cause must succeed because it was right. And the man knew that she believed in his courage and loyalty, and that trust could not be betrayed. He felt that she was capable of managing his material interests, and of protecting and caring for his children, and often his load was the lighter of the two. So of these women and their steadfastness and heroism we can never know, as individuals. It is the story of their lives in the concrete and the influence they exerted, that is on record." ~ Pioneer Mothers of America, by Harry Clinton Green
Also, on a different note...
"Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of. Our enemies are numerous and powerful; but we have many friends, determining to be free and heaven and earth will aid the resolution. On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important question, on which rest the happiness and liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves." ~ Joseph Warren, Boston Massacre Oration, 1775
Anything by PHenrey!
He could get the country to do anything with the fire in which to get the bumps movin'
Here is my personal favorite by Patrick Henry:
"Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry
"The government is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." ~ George Washington
If yesterday,
is not benefiting tomorrow,
do something about it,
Today! ..:..
"If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking, is freedom." ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
My current noteable seems as appropriate now as when originally spoken, "as spring approached in 1775":
"Things now every day begin to grow more and more serious" Lord Percy
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin, 1759
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who would pervert the Constitution."
~Abraham Lincoln
Quote from: TravelPatriot on June 20, 2012, 09:18:01 PM
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who would pervert the Constitution."
~Abraham Lincoln
Nice quote and I agree with the truth in these words, but am left with the bitter metallic aftertaste of irony considering his deeds. :cool2:
This is my very favorite quote,
When I go home people'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? What, you some kinda war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a goddamn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.
~Hoot~
"All ready on the firing line..........FIRE"
huzzah
"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God" ~ Benjamin Franklin