"When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."
— Benjamin Franklin

January 1, 1970

Quote Details

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Added on April 10, 2026
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AphoristsEngineers from the United StatesFounding Fathers of the United States of AmericaElectrical engineersGovernors of Pennsylvania
Original Language: English

Sources

There is no evidence that Franklin ever actually said or wrote this, but it's remarkably similar a quote often attributed, without proper sourcing, to Alexis de Tocqueville and Alexander Fraser Tytler: