Ludwig von Mises on liberty

War prosperity is like the prosperity that an earthquake or a plague brings.

The proof of a theory is in its reasoning, not in its sponsorship.

Repression by brute force is always a confession of the inability to make use of the better weapons of the intellect — better because they alone give promise of final success.

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

Thomas Jefferson1743–1826Letter to William Stephens Smith (13 November 1787). Manuscript at the Library of Congress.

• War & Peace

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

Benjamin Franklin1706–1790This was first used by Franklin for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its “Reply to the Governor” (November 11, 1755) Reply to the Governor

Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.

Benjamin Franklin1706–1790