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The natural progress of things... (Spurious Quotation)
Quotation: "The natural progress of things is for the government to gain ground and for liberty to yield."
Variations: There are many variations of this quote, including (but not limited to):
- "As government grows, liberty decreases."
- "It is in the natural course of events that liberty recedes and government grows.”
Comments: This is a misquotation of Jefferson's statement, "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yeild,1 and government to gain ground."2
- Anna Berkes, 3/6/09; updated 11/20/15
Further Sources
- Kaminski, John P., ed. The Quotable Jefferson. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2006.
- Popik, Barry. "As government grows, liberty decreases." The Big Apple. March 9, 2014.
- 1. "Yeild" is Jefferson's original spelling, and one that he used with a fair degree of frequency.
- 2. Jefferson to Edward Carrington, May 27, 1788, in PTJ, 13:208-9. Letterpress copy available online at the Library of Congress. Transcription available at Founders Online.
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Spurious Quotations