Hallie: Hi! Thank you for taking the time to respond to this quote and express your puzzlement. Let me explain Mr Adams' quote in another way. He is asking citizens to grow up and not accept everything their government offers to do for them, because there are strings attached. Imagine this. I assume you love your Mom and Dad and the things they do for you. You are given a place to stay, food and clothing and all kinds of goodies. But in return you have to do what they tell you. You're not allow to buy everything your want, only certain kinds of clothes. There are some places you are not allowed to go, some kids you are not allowed to play with. You are probably told they do this because they are your parents and know better than you do about the world. But, imagine again that you were never allowed to grow up. That your parents were always there, telling you what you can and cannot do. Never allowing you to make an important decision on your own. Making you work to pay for your keep and then taking a lot of that money that you earned away from you. That's the kind of thing Samuel Adams is talking about.