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As though there were a tie
And obligation to posterity.
We get them, bear them, breed, and nurse:
What has posterity done for us.
That we, lest they their rights should lose,
Should trust our necks to gripe of noose?

— John Trumbull McFingal (1775)

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More quotes by John Trumbull

No man e'er felt the halter draw,
With good opinion of the law.

McFingal (1775)

But optics sharp it needs, I ween,
To see what is not to be seen.

McFingal (1775)

For any man with half an eye,
What stands before him may espy;
But optics sharp it needs I ween,
To see what is not to be seen.

But as some muskets so contrive it
As oft to miss the mark they drive at,
And though well aimed at duck or plover,
Bear wide, and kick their owners over.

McFingal (1775)

What has poster'ty done for us,
That we, lest they their rights should lose,
Should trust our necks to gripe of noose?

All John Trumbull quotes →

Attribution

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