There is a quote from Thomas Jefferson with a similar sentiment, "the price of liberty is eternal vigilance," though it too, sadly, is fake. I'm fairly certain that "the price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men," a quote from Plato, is real, and it illustrates the comparison between government and fire much better. The fire that is government has been burning unsupervised for so long that any efforts to contain it will be for nought. Without a long tradition of responsible self-governance, as you see in rural areas, then big-city-style bureaucracies become the norm.