BEWARE of the Wrath of a Patient Man!
Flagg, James Montgomery (1877-1960)American Lithograph Company
“Beware the fury of a patient man,” is a line from Absalom and Achitophel (1681) by the English poet John Dryden. The War Savings Stamps and Liberty Bond campaigns asked people to promise to buy a certain number of bonds over time. The longer Uncle Sam waited for citizens to make good on their promises, the angrier he became. Other than the guilt of breaking a promise to Uncle Sam, failing to fulfill one’s pledge had no real consequences.