The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime, and the punishment of his guilt.
John Philpot Curran
The Right of Election of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, speech,
10 July 1790, Dublin
[The quote “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.“ is often attributed to Thomas Jefferson but in some circles is in question. The previous one by Curran is fairly certain to be correctly attributed and is more complete in “my book“. — Joe]