We are free today because we are the stronger; we will be slaves

"We are free today because we are the stronger; we will be slaves again when the government becomes the stronger." — Toussaint Louverture

Hear now, O children of liberty, the words of Toussaint Louverture, the lion of Haiti, the man who rose from chains to command armies and defy empires. His words are forged from fire and suffering, born in a land that had known the lash, the whip, and the cruel silence of slavery. When he said, “We are free today because we are the stronger,” he spoke not merely of weapons or armies, but of the strength of spirit, the unyielding will of a people who refused to kneel. Yet he warned with equal power that freedom is not eternal unless it is guarded. “We will be slaves again when the government becomes the stronger.” In this, Louverture speaks the eternal truth — that liberty dies not always from invasion, but from the slow, quiet rise of unchecked power.

This quote was born from the heart of the Haitian Revolution, the first and only successful slave uprising in history that gave birth to a free republic. Louverture, once enslaved, led his people against the might of France, Spain, and Britain — empires whose banners once blotted out the sun. They fought not only for freedom, but for dignity, for the right to live as men, not property. When they triumphed, it was because they were the stronger — not merely in arms, but in conviction. Yet Louverture, wise beyond the battlefield, knew that the truest enemy of liberty is not always the oppressor beyond the walls, but the tyrant who grows within. Governments, he warned, can rise from among the liberated and become masters once more if the people forget to guard their freedom.

To understand his warning, one must look to the lessons of history. Rome, the mightiest republic of the ancient world, fell not because it was conquered from without, but because its people surrendered their vigilance. They exchanged their freedom for comfort, their voice for bread and games. The state became their provider, their ruler, their god — and in that dependence, they became slaves again. Louverture, who studied the great revolutions of his age, saw this pattern clearly. The moment the people grow weak and trust the government to be their strength, the moment they cease to challenge power, they begin to build their own chains.

Louverture’s words are more than political — they are spiritual. He knew that freedom is not a gift; it is a duty. It must be held with both courage and humility, for the moment pride or complacency sets in, the oppressor returns in new clothes. When the government becomes stronger than the people, it no longer serves but commands. The balance is broken, and the citizen becomes subject, the servant becomes ruler, and liberty becomes memory. It is not the form of government that matters — monarchy or republic, democracy or dictatorship — but whether the people remain awake, aware, and ready to stand firm when power overreaches.

Consider the later fate of Haiti itself. After Louverture’s capture by deceit and his death in a cold French prison, his homeland fell into the same struggle he had foreseen. Leaders rose and fell, some just, others tyrannical. Foreign powers returned in new guises — with gold instead of guns, with influence instead of armies. The government that should have been a shield for the people became, at times, a burden upon them. Louverture’s prophecy came true not only for Haiti, but for many nations: freedom, once won, can be lost — not by conquest, but by forgetfulness.

The message, then, is as timeless as it is urgent. Every people, in every age, must measure their strength not in wealth, nor in comfort, but in their independence of spirit. The moment the people surrender their courage, their self-reliance, their right to question authority, the government becomes the master — and they, once free, become subjects again. Louverture’s words remind us that the flame of liberty is not passed down by rulers, but kept alive by the people themselves, who must fan it daily with the breath of vigilance.

So, my friends, take heed of his wisdom. Do not let comfort soften your will. Do not let fear make you silent. Be the stronger, not through violence, but through virtue — through knowledge, unity, and courage. Hold your leaders accountable; remember that they serve by your consent, not by divine right. Build governments that protect liberty, but never worship them. For the freedom of the world rests not in the halls of power, but in the hearts of its people. And if ever you forget that truth, remember the words of the freedman who became a general: “We are free today because we are the stronger; we will be slaves again when the government becomes the stronger.”