Need help finding a quotation

J

jhendon

Inactive
There is a quotation I've seen that I think was authored by one of America's founders - keep thinking it was Hamilton but I've searched quotes by him and haven't found it so maybe not. The gist of the quote is that liberty is frequently not lost by a single action but by a sequence of incremental changes, none of which seems significant at the time but will accomplish, over time, something that would have been strongly resisted had it been attempted all at once.

If that description is similar to any quotatations you can think of, I would appreciate it if you would pass them along to me.

Thanks
 
I think you may be running several quotes together in your mind.

Hume: "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once."

Madison: "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

http://rous.redbarn.org/objectivism/Writing/DavidKing/GuideToObjectivism/CHAPTR13.HTM (search for "encroachments")
You may even be thinking of a direct Rand quote. cf http://home.earthlink.net/~rdmadden/webdocs/American_Fascism_Revisited.html (search for "gradual")

http://www.fortliberty.org/quotes/quotes-liberty.shtml
http://quotes.prolix.nu/Freedom/
http://www.worldofquotes.com/topic/Freedom/1/
http://www.quotelady.com/subjects/freedom.html
 
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