Benjamin Franklin Quotes
In those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call anything his own.... Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.
Written when only a teenager.
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, Governor of Pennsylvania, Member of the Continental Congress & the Constitutional Convention, Governor of Pennsylvania, President of the Pennsylvania Assembly, U.S. Minister to France, Postmaster General of the American Colonies, Dogwood Papers, 1722
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The President was reacting to a chain of vents whereby Sony Entertainment produced a satiric movie which offended the leadership of North Korea who condemned, threatened and may have launched a cyberattack on Sony. That company reacted by withdrawing the movie and the President thought that was a mistake despite the fact that there were threats against theaters showing the movie and people attending the showings.
Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims.
Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A polymath, he was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania.
