I love this often-cited quotation. The problem is, I have searched high and low for ANY original citation for it in Samuel Adams's statements or writings, to no avail. It is always attributed generally to Adams, but never to any specific letter, speech, or document he ever authored. I would love to believe that it is a legitimate quotation. But if no one can footnote it to a specific source, I'm forced to believe it is not an actual Adams quotation.