Don’t tread on me.

“Don’t tread on me” is best understood as a modern paraphrase of the Revolutionary-era motto “Don’t Tread on Me,” famously associated with the Gadsden flag (a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow field). The flag was designed in 1775 by American politician Christopher Gadsden and presented to the Continental Navy/Marine forces as a symbol of colonial resistance to British coercion. Over time, the phrase has been revived in various U.S. political contexts—especially those emphasizing individual liberty, limited government, and opposition to perceived tyranny—so it often appears on flags, patches, and protest signage rather than as a line traceable to a single authored text.

The statement is a warning and a boundary: it asserts a right to be left unmolested and implies consequences if that boundary is violated. In the Gadsden-flag tradition, the metaphor is defensive rather than aggressive—the rattlesnake does not strike unless stepped on—so the phrase frames resistance as justified retaliation to oppression. In contemporary use, it can signal personal autonomy, civil-libertarian sentiment, or broader anti-authoritarian politics. Because it is short and imperative, it functions more like a slogan than a literary aphorism, gaining meaning from the speaker’s context and the power relationship being challenged.

“Don’t Tread on Me.”
“Do not tread on me.”
“Noli me tangere” (sometimes cited as a Latin analogue, though not a direct original for the Gadsden motto).