"When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny."
— Thomas Jefferson

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Presidents of the United StatesUnitarians from the United StatesFounding Fathers of the United States of AmericaUnited States Secretaries of StatePoliticians from Virginia
Original Language: English

Sources

First attributed to Jefferson in 1945, this does not appear in any known Jefferson document. When governments fear the people, there is liberty..., Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. It first appears in 1914, in {{cite book