The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

Widely attributed to Thomas Jefferson and John Philpot Curran; popularised in 19th century

History

Why it matters

The idea in context

The traceable ancestor is the Irish statesman John Philpot Curran in 1790: “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.” Abolitionist Wendell Phillips used the modern short form in 1852; the popular attribution to Thomas Jefferson has never been supported by his papers. The warning outlived them all: freedom is not won once — it is guarded, continuously, or lost.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Özgürlüğün bedeli sonsuz uyanıklıktır.
Yaygın olarak Thomas Jefferson ve John Philpot Curran'a atfedilir; 19. yüzyılda yaygınlaştı

İzlenebilir ata, İrlandalı devlet adamı John Philpot Curran'ın 1790 tarihli sözüdür: “Tanrı'nın insana özgürlüğü verme koşulu, daimi teyakkuzdur.” Kölelik karşıtı Wendell Phillips kısa modern biçimi 1852'de kullandı; Thomas Jefferson'a yapılan yaygın atıfsa belgeleriyle hiç desteklenememiştir. Uyarı hepsinden uzun yaşadı: Özgürlük bir kez kazanılmaz — ya sürekli korunur ya da yitirilir.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Background reading: Eternal vigilanceAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
Next in the open archiveThe first known writing system, Sumerian cuneiform, developed around 3100 BC in Mesopotamia — initially as an accounting tool, not poetry.Q0535