Quotes In Preparation for the Fourth of July
Tomorrow is American Independence Day, July 4. It is a day to celebrate what would be illegal if attempted today. Such is the fate of revolutions. But at the same time it challenges us to think deeply about what it all can mean for us. So, to get us ready, here are some appropriate quotes.

First, George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist and literary critic, reminds us that liberty is a dangerous thing.

"Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

Laurence J. Peter, educator and author of The Peter Principle, gets a little cynical, as may very well be appropriate.

"Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame."

Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright, novelist and poet, shows that the desire for rebellion is more than just a value of the depths of American history.

"Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man's original virtue. It is through disobedience and rebellion that progress has been made."

Statesman and President Thomas Jefferson, would agree, I am sure, with Wilde’s attitude. He said it so well himself.

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive."

Charles Austin Beard, constitutional historian and political scientist, reflects on the same theme and gives us a warning about being too American when it comes to truly paying attention to history.

You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence.

And finally, former Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis gives us the final warning that what we have will probably not be taken away through outside intervention but the actions of those who think they are really doing the right thing.

Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding.

I sure am glad I am an American where I can think and write these things and celebrate my freedom and hope and liberty.