Vol. 06 · Misquoted ·Speech ·92 of 348
"Give me liberty or give me death."
They never said that.
What people say
"Give me liberty or give me death."
What was actually said
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" Patrick Henry (as reconstructed by William Wirt, 1817) — St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia, 23 March 1775
Why it stuck
The "liberty or death" climax is the recorded fragment. The full speech was reconstructed 42 years later by William Wirt from oyster-house recollections. Whether Henry said the exact words is uncertain.
Wirt's reconstruction became the canonical version. Historians accept the sentiment but not every word.
Know another line by heart?
Play the duel and see how many you can spot. Or browse the whole shelf.