# Franklin quote?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 11, 2007, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772 "2007-09-11T12:21:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772/1 "2007-09-11T12:21:36Z")

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“Celebrity” Atty. Gerry Spence ( [Gerry Spence - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Spence) ) is in Portland defending Brandon Mayfield, the atty. wrongly arrested by the FBI after the Spanish train terrorist bombings. Mayfield is challenging the Constitutionality of the Patriot act. At a news conference, Spence quoted Franklin thusly;“Those who would trade security for freedom, deserve neither.”  
The actual quote is; “Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither”.  
Has Spence corrupted the meaning, or is it essentially the same?

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**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772/2 "2007-09-11T13:19:47Z")

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Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

According to WikiQuote. And, it wasn’t him.

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**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772/3 "2007-09-11T13:42:23Z")

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[QUOTE=Shecky]  
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

According to WikiQuote. And, it wasn’t him.  
[/QUOTE]

OK, but regardless of the exact wording, or the author, Spence still reversed the order of the quote. Does that change it’s meaning?

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**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\
**Post date:** [September 11, 2007, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/franklin-quote/418772/4 "2007-09-11T17:32:33Z")

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Yes. In one case, you start with security, but you’re not free.

In the other, you start with freedom, but you’re not secure.