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That no free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by a frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

— George Mason Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

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More quotes by George Mason

The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.

Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

The freedom of the press is one of the greatest bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments.

There is a Passion natural to the Mind of man, especially a free Man, which renders him impatient of Restraint.

Happiness and Prosperity are now within our Reach; but to attain and preserve them must depend upon our own Wisdom and Virtue.

Does any man suppose that one general national government can exist in so extensive a country as this?

Addresses to the Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)

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