Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. - Benjamin Franklin
Actually, he never said that. There are probably 30 variants of that line that are often attributed to him, but he never said it, just the same. The original quote is:
Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
And was penned by a fellow diplomat of Franklin's, a man named Richard Jackson. The quote appears as a motto on the title page of a 1759 book that was published, but not authored, by Franklin entitled, An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania.
In a later edition published in 1812, the publisher attributed the quote to Franklin, and subsequent editions have had that mistake corrected.
The closest Franklin got to saying the above was in the Poor Richard's Almanack of 1738 where he wrote a similar proverb: "Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power."
Another favorite mis-quote of mine is:
"If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no mind."
(or one of a dozen variants)
It's often attributed to Winston Churchill, but he never said it. It's also been attributed to George Bernard Shaw, Benjamin Disraeli, Otto von Bismarck, and others. The actual, original quote, spoken and then written by French statesman, orator and historian, François Guizot, and is actually the most eloquent of all the variations:
"Not to be a republican at 20 is proof of want of heart; to be one at 30 is proof of want of head."
But, the one quote that everyone should live by, was real and is easily verifiable.
"Get it while it's hot! Get it while it's buttered!" - Bugs Bunny
Slow and steady, even in expediting, wins the race - Aesop