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Freedom

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“Too little liberty brings stagnation, and too much brings chaos.”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) first seen 1949 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Authority and the Individual (1949), p. 37
“Aegistheus, the kings have another secret.... Once liberty has exploded in the soul of a man, the Gods can do nothing against that man. It is a matter for men to handle amongst themselves, and it is up to other men — and to them alone — to let him flee or to destroy him.”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Jupiter: I gave you the liberty to serve me. Orestes: That is possible, but it has turned against you and there is nothing either one of us can do about it.”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Remember, Orestes: you were part of my herd, you grazed in the fields along with my sheep. Your liberty is nothing but a mange eating away at you, it is nothing but an exile.”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Liberty, n. One of imagination's most precious possessions.”
Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914) said by 1914 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I could not be true and constant to the argument I handle, if I were not willing to go beyond others; but yet not more willing than to have others go beyond me again: which may the better appear by this, that I have propounded my opinions naked and unarmed, not seeking to preoccupate the liberty of men's judgments by confutations.”
Francis Bacon (1561–1626) said by 1626 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What! You would convict me from my own words, and bring against me what I had said or written elsewhere. You may act in that manner with those who dispute by established rules. We live from hand to mouth, and say anything that strikes our mind with probability, so that we are the only people who are really at liberty.”
Cicero (107–43 BC) said by 43 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A University should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning.”
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) first seen 1873 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (11 March 1873)
“The word liberty in the mouth of Mr. Webster sounds like the word love in the mouth of a courtesan.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) first seen 1778 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: February 12, 1851; cf. the remark of John Wilkes about Samuel Johnson, "Liberty is as ridiculous in his mouth as Religion in mine" (20 March 1778), quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson (1791)
“There is no such thing as an achieved liberty; like electricity, there can be no substantial storage and it must be generated as it is enjoyed, or the lights go out.”
Robert H. Jackson (1892–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We can afford no liberties with liberty itself.”
Robert H. Jackson (1892–1954) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: United States v. Spector, 343 US 169, 180 (1952) (dissenting)
“Liberty is the most jealous and exacting mistress that can beguile the brain and soul of man. She will have nothing from him who will not give her all. She knows that his pretended love serves but to betray. But when once the fierce heat of her quenchless, lustrous eyes has burned into the victim's heart, he will know no other smile but hers.”
Clarence Darrow (1857–1938) first seen 1902 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Funeral oration for John Peter Altgeld (14 March 1902)
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) first seen 1847 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1847
“A genuine, enlightened patriot discerns, that the welfare of his own country is involved in the general progress of society; and, in the character of a patriot, as well as of a Christian, he rejoices in the liberty and prosperity of other communities, and is anxious to maintain with them the relations of peace and amity.”
William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) said by 1842 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Outside of that single fatality of death, everything, joy or happiness, is liberty.”
Albert Camus (1913–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The liberty of the individual ends where it starts to harm the interests of the collective.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the Lustgarten, Berlin (1 May 1939)
“A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty — their power and privilege — to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Politics is the business of getting power and privilege without possessing merit. A politician is anyone who asks individuals to surrender part of their liberty— their power and privilege— to State, Masses, Mankind, Planet Earth, or whatever. This state, those masses, that mankind, and the planet will then be run by ... politicians.”
P. J. O'Rourke (1947–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.”
Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878–1969) first seen 1937 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Home Book of Quotations, Classical and Modern (1937) edited by Burton Egbert Stevenson
“As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to us the rights of person and of property, liberty of conscience, and of the press, it will be worth defending.”
Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) first seen 1829 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: First Inaugural Address (4 March 1829).
“But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing.”
Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) first seen 1837 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Farewell Address, (4 March 1837), recalling what, by then, had reached the status of a proverb.
“Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can. These are evident branches of, rather than deductions from, the duty of self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature.”
Samuel Adams (1722–1803) said by 1803 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The supreme power cannot justly take from any man any part of his property, without his consent in person or by his representative. … Now what liberty can there be where property is taken away without consent?”
Samuel Adams (1722–1803) said by 1803 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Liberty is, to the lowest rank of every nation, little more than the choice of working or starving.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1760 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Bravery of the English Common Soldiers", in The British Magazine (January 1760)
“Frugality may be termed the daughter of Prudence, the sister of Temperance and the parent of Liberty.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1750 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: No. 57 (2 October 1750)
“Slavery is now no where more patiently endured, than in countries once inhabited by the zealots of liberty.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1758 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: No. 11 (24 June 1758)
“Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1782 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to James Boswell, December 7, 1782, p. 494
“Finally, we must keep ever in mind that a republic such as ours can exist only by virtue of the orderly liberty which comes through the equal domination of the law over all men alike, and through its administration in such resolute and fearless fashion as shall teach all that no man is above it and no man below it.”
Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“God grant, that not only the Love of Liberty, but a thorough Knowledge of the Rights of Man, may pervade all the Nations of the Earth, so that a Philosopher may set his Foot anywhere on its Surface, and say, 'This is my Country.'”
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) first seen 1789 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to David Hartley (December 4, 1789); reported in Albert H. Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (1907), Volume 10, p. 72; often quoted as, "Where liberty dwells, there is my country".
“From a persuasion that equal liberty was originally the Portion, It is still the Birthright of all men.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) said by 1790 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My pro-life position is I believe there's life. It's not necessarily based in religion. I think there's a life there, therefore the notion of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle (January 23, 2001)
“Let us teach our children, and all Americans, to rise above brutality and bigotry and to be champions of liberty, human dignity, and equality.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Proclamation 7404 (February 2001)
“Civilized people everywhere have recognized that terrorists threaten every nation that loves liberty and cherishes the protection of individual rights. Respect for human dignity and individual freedoms reaffirms a core tenet of civilized people everywhere.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Proclamation 7513 (December 2001)
“If anyone doubts this, let them look to Afghanistan, where the Islamic 'street' greeted the fall of tyranny with song and celebration. Let the skeptics look to Islam's own rich history, with its centuries of learning, and tolerance and progress. America will lead by defending liberty and justice because they are right and true and unchanging for all people everywhere.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In a single instant, we realized that this will be a decisive decade in the history of liberty, that we've been called to a unique role in human events. Rarely has the world faced a choice more clear or consequential.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mister President and Madam first lady, distinguished guests, and residents of Goree Island, citizens of Senegal, I'm honored to begin my visit to Africa in your beautiful country. For hundreds of years on this island, peoples of different continents met in fear and cruelty. Today, we gather in respect and friendship, mindful of past wrongs and dedicated to the advance of human liberty.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is, above all, the age of liberty.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I also have a message for all Americans: The capture of Saddam Hussein does not mean the end of violence in Iraq. We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent than accept the rise of liberty in the heart of the Middle East. Such men are a direct threat to the American people, and they will be defeated.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The advance of liberty is the path to both a safer and better world.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to the People of Hungary (June 22, 2006)
“I would defend the liberty of consenting adult creationists to practice whatever intellectual perversions they like in the privacy of their own homes; but it is also necessary to protect the young and innocent.”
Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1984: Spring (1984)
“If it's really true, that the museum at has dinosaur fossils which are labelled as being 3000 years old, then that is an educational disgrace. It is debauching the whole idea of a university, and I would strongly encourage any members of Liberty University who may be here...to leave and go to a proper university.”
Richard Dawkins (born 1941) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: At in , (23 October 2006) Broadcasted by C-SPAN2
“Liberty is to be subserved, whatever occurs.”
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) said by 1892 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Men that are men again: Who goes home? Tocsin and trumpeter! Who goes home? For there's blood on the grass and blood on the foam, And blood on the body, when Man comes home. And a voice valedictory: Who is for victory? Who is for liberty? Who goes home?”
G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nelson turned his blindest eye On Naples and on liberty.”
G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So hopeless is the world without; The world within I doubly prize; Thy world, where guile, and hate, and doubt, And cold suspicion never rise; Where thou, and I, and Liberty, Have undisputed sovereignty.”
Emily Brontë (1818–1848) said by 1848 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let us sum up this government! Who is at the Élysée and the Tuileries? Crime. Who is established at the Luxembourg? Baseness. Who at the Palais Bourbon? Imbecility. Who at the Palais d'Orsay?...And who are in the prisons... in the dungeons...in exile? Law, honour, intelligence, liberty, and the right. Book I, VI”
Victor Hugo (1802–1885) said by 1885 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yes, while I stood and gazed, my temples bare, And shot my being through earth, sea, and air, Possessing all things with intensest love, O Liberty! my spirit felt thee there.”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) first seen 1798 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: France: An Ode", st. 5 (1798)
“Flowers are lovely; love is flower-like; Friendship is a sheltering tree; Oh the joys that came down shower-like, Of friendship, love, and liberty, Ere I was old!”
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) first seen 1823 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Youth and Age", st. 2 (1823–1832)