"Live Free or Die" is the official motto of the U.S. state of New Hampshire, adopted by the state in 1945.[1] It is possibly the best-known of all state motto's, partly because it speaks to an assertive independence historically found in American political philosophy and partly because of its contrast to the milder sentiments found in other state motto's.
The phrase comes from a toast written by General John Stark on July 31, 1809. Poor health forced Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the American Revolutionary War, to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington and to send his toast by letter:
Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils. The motto was enacted at the same time as the state emblem, on which it appears.
This is a nice one, too:
I have Gadsden flag and a Gadsden bumper sticker.
It really pisses off the left-wing wackos around here.