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"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

January 1, 1970

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Added by wikiquote-import-bot

Added on April 10, 2026

Unverified quote

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Original Language: English

Sources

Who: Nathan Hale, American spy, hanged in 1776, according to the account by William Hull based on reports by John Montresor. This has also been quoted as: I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country. Some speculation exists that he might have been repeating or paraphrasing lines from Joseph Addison's play Cato: What pity is it that we can die but once to serve our country.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Last_words

Who: Nathan Hale, American spy, hanged in 1776, according to the account by William Hull based on reports by John Montresor. This has also been quoted as: I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country. Some speculation exists that he might have been repeating or paraphrasing lines from Joseph Addison's play Cato: What pity is it that we can die but once to serve our country.