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There's an interesting NPR interview on the origin of that quote: https://www.npr.org/2015/03/02/390245038/ben-franklins-famous-liberty-safety-quote-lost-its-co

• godelski 7y ago
  Interesting read, thanks for that. I'll update the tldr with two quotes > It is a quotation that defends the authority of a legislature to govern in the interests of collective security. It means, in context, not quite the opposite of what it's almost always quoted as saying but much closer to the opposite than to the thing that people think it means. > And maybe it doesn't matter so much what Franklin was actually trying to say because the quotation means so much to us in terms of the tension between government power and individual liberties. But I do think it is worth remembering what he was actually trying to say because the actual context is much more sensitive to the problems of real governance than the flip quotation's use is, often. I think the second quote is important, because sayings change over time and the meaning they hold changes too. That is the progression of language.
  • jacobolus 7y ago
    The sentiment is fine, but after someone knows the original context attributing this sentiment to Franklin out of context seems dishonest.