The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

The line warns that liberty is not a permanent achievement but a condition that must be actively maintained. “Eternal vigilance” implies sustained public attention to abuses of power, erosion of rights, and the slow normalization of injustice. The “price” metaphor frames freedom as something purchased through ongoing civic effort—participation, scrutiny, protest, and accountability—rather than a one-time revolutionary act. In modern usage, it is often invoked to stress that democratic institutions and civil liberties can decay quietly unless citizens and leaders continually defend them against complacency, corruption, and authoritarian drift.

1) "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
2) "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."