Patrick Henry

From BillionQuotes

Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 - June 6, 1799) was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered primarily for his stirring oratory.

Sourced

• Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third ["Treason!" cried the Speaker] — may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.
  • Speech on the Stamp Act, Virginia House of Burgesses (May 29, 1765)

• I am not a Virginian, but an American.
  • Speech in the First Continental Congress, Philadelphia (October 14, 1774)

• That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.
  • Virginia Bill of Rights, Article 16 (June 12, 1776)

• United we stand, divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.
  • Last public speech before his death (March 4, 1799)

• This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.
  • Last Will and Testament of Patrick Henry

Speech in Virginia Convention, Richmond (March 23, 1775)

• It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.

• I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging of the future but by the past.

• We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power...The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.

• If we wish to be free; if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending; if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained — we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms, and to the God of hosts, is all that is left us.

• It is vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. The gentlemen may cry, Peace, peace! but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!

Attributed

• An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone.

• Suspicion is a Virtue if it is in the interests of the good of the people.

• The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.

• The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.

Disputed quotations

• It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
  • This has been cited at a some sites as being in a speech to the House of Burgesses in May 1765, but the date and quote both seem spurious: it is extremely anachronistic to have Henry speaking of the colony of Virginia in 1765 as a "nation" that afforded "peoples of other faiths" the "freedom of worship."

External links

Quotations by Patrick Henry at Liberty-Tree.ca

he:פטריק הנרי