We have all heard the phrase “Live free or die,” but do you know the story behind it or who said it? I did not until I came across the post below by Echoes of War. It was coined by General John Stark in the Revolutionary War. I highly recommend clicking on the link below for the whole story, but if you cannot, here are some excerpts:
“At Bunker Hill in 1775, it was Stark and his New Hampshire men who held the most vulnerable spot on the American line, the far left flank down by the beach, where the British planned to sweep around and roll up the whole position. Stark saw the danger, threw up a makeshift barrier of fence rails and stone, and posted his marksmen behind it. When the British came along the shore, his men shot them down in rows. That flank never broke. It was one of the coolest, deadliest pieces of work on that bloody hill.
But his masterpiece came in 1777. By then Stark had actually quit the Continental Army in disgust after being passed over for promotion, proud and stubborn to the bone. New Hampshire, threatened by Burgoyne’s invading British army pushing down from Canada, gave him an independent militia command, and Stark raised a force of farmers and neighbors. When a detachment of Burgoyne’s army, Germans and Loyalists, marched toward Bennington to seize American supplies, Stark went out to meet them.“
Lunch Box Quotes are notes I typically include in the kids’ lunches every day. Since Number 1 is off in college, he gets a text, and Numbers 2-4 get handwritten notes on napkins. However, Number 3 is skipping lunch now (for some reason), so only 3 and 4 get a note.
Visual credit to – Featured Image: Photo Credit: @HistoryWJacob
Quotes: @EchoesofWarYT @readswithravi @KnowsPascal @Dostoevskyquot
Quotes:
1. “Live free or die. Death is not the worst of evils.” – General John Stark
2. “There are the redcoats, and they are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!” – General John Stark
3. “Never underestimate a person who practices self-education in their free time.” – Reads with Ravi
4. “He subdued the world not by the sword, but by the Cross.” – St. Augustine
Bonus Quote: “I dreamed of you before I ever met you, and when I finally did, it was as if I had known you all my life.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Sources:
There is a good chance you have read this man’s words hundreds of times without ever knowing his name. Every license plate in the state of New Hampshire carries them: “Live Free or Die.” An old soldier named John Stark wrote that line, and his own story is even better than his… pic.twitter.com/eCuE7GlmFV
— Echoes of War (@EchoesofWarYT) September 3, 2026
I’m in love with this sentence:
“Never underestimate a person who practices self-education in their free time.”
— Reads with Ravi (@readswithravi) September 4, 2026
He subdued the world not by the sword, but by the Cross.
-St. Augustine pic.twitter.com/dryQQw9mtH
— Pascal (@KnowsPascal) September 3, 2026
When someone says “I love you” but Dostoevsky said:
“I dreamed of you before I ever met you, and when I finally did, it was as if I had known you all my life”
— Fyodor Dostoevsky Collection 🪓 (@Dostoevskyquot) August 24, 2026
America was founded by explorers.
Built by inventors.
Kept by the blood, sweat and tears of everyday patriots. pic.twitter.com/GPgVZ5tT2L
— History With Jacob (@HistoryWJacob) August 26, 2026