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Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.

— William Pitt the Younger

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More quotes by William Pitt the Younger

Prostrate the beauteous ruin lies; and all
That shared its shelter perish in its fall.

It is with eloquence as with a flame; it requires fuel to feed it, motion to excite it, and it brightens as it burns.

I think I could eat one of Bellamy's mutton pies.

I return you many thanks for the honour you have done me; but Europe is not to be saved by any single man. England has saved herself by her exertions, and will, as I trust, save Europe by her example.

I do not wish...to call myself any Thing but an Independent Whig. Which in words is hardly a distinction, as every one alike pretends to it.

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