1. "He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself." ~ Thomas Paine



2. "You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~ Erma Bombeck

3. "Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty." ~ Louis D. Brandeis

4. "America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact - the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality." ~ Adlai Stevenson

5. "For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." ~ Abraham Lincoln

7. "We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it." ~ William Faulkner

8. "As we have throughout this century, we will lead with the power of our example, but be prepared, when necessary, to make an example of our power." ~ Bill Clinton

9. "America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense ... human rights invented America." ~ Jimmy Carter

10. "America is a tune. It must be sung together." ~ Gerald Stanley Lee

11. "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ~ Elmer Davis

12. "If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." ~ Hamilton Fish

As we celebrate with picnics, fireworks and barbecues this July fourth, let's remember exactly what it is we're celebrating. Bravery. Triumph. Freedom. A nation that bows to no other and protects the rights and freedoms of those that live within its borders. These twelve Independence Day quotes are a good start.