Let Mr. Madison tell me when did liberty ever exist when the sword and the purse were given up from the people? Unless a miracle shall interpose, no nation ever did, nor ever can retain its liberty after the loss of the sword and the purse.

Another quote →

Source, in full

As quoted in The Debates in the Several States Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution also known as Elliot's Debates, Jonathan Elliot, edit. (1941) J. B. Lippincott Co., pp. 168-169, originally published in 1836

More quotes by Patrick Henry

All Patrick Henry quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Patrick Henry (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.