Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Freedom
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“I must have liberty Withal, as large a charter as the wind, To blow on whom I please.”
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) said by 1616 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Fishes that tipple in the deep, Know no such liberty.”
Richard Lovelace (1618–1658) said by 1658 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Give me again my hollow tree, A crust of bread, and liberty.”
Alexander Pope (1688–1744) said by 1744 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“My vigour relents,--I pardon something to the spirit of liberty.”
Edmund Burke (1729–1797) said by 1797 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”
Patrick Henry (1736–1799) said by 1799 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) said by 1826 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,--that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) said by 1826 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Liberty 's in every blow! Let us do or die.”
Robert Burns (1759–1796) said by 1796 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Knowledge is the only fountain both of the love and the principles of human liberty.”
Daniel Webster (1782–1852) said by 1852 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.”
Daniel Webster (1782–1852) said by 1852 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“The tree of liberty only grows when watered by the blood of tyrants.”
Madame Roland (1754–1793) said by 1793 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“The machine is a slave which serves to make other slaves. Such a domineering and enslaving drive may go together with the quest for human freedom. But it is difficult to liberate oneself by transferring slavery to other beings, men, animals, or machines; to rule over a population of machines subjecting the whole world means still to rule, and all rule implies acceptance of schemata of subjection.”
Gilbert Simondon (1924–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I spend my days preparing for life, not preparing for death... They haven't stopped me from doing what I want every day. I believe in life, I believe in freedom, so my mind is not consumed with death. It's with love, life and those things. In many ways, on many days, only my body is here, because I am thinking about what's happening around the world.”
Mumia Abu-Jamal (born 1954) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I spend my days preparing for life, not for death" The Guardian, Laura Smith (2007-10-25)
“[About Jews] Among other nations, the vital problems are: a good crop, extension of the boundaries, strong armies, colonies; among us, if we wish to be true to ourselves, the vital questions are: conscience, freedom, culture, ethics.”
Isaac Leib Peretz (1852–1915) said by 1915 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Peronism is so much like Argentines. We Peronists, just like all Argentines, are capable of spawning the most generous actions and the most sublime individuals, as well as the most despicable actions. That’s how contradictory we are. When kidnapping was rife in this country and people were made to disappear and thrown into the river, the defenders of press freedom went AWOL.”
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (born 1953) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nota en Clarin 06/05/2006
“Memory and freedom must be everybody’s daily exercise in order to prevent a new holocaust and a renewed violation of human rights.”
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (born 1953) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nota en Clarin 25/04/2006
“Freedom is a demagogue.”
Giannina Braschi (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is great freedom in simplicity of living.”
Peace Pilgrim (1908–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe the best poetry of our times is growing too artistic; the study is too visible. If freedom and naturalness are lost out of poetry, everything worth having is lost.”
Lucy Larcom (1824–1893) first seen 1861 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Journal entry (2 March 1861), Ch. 5 : The Beginning of the War.
“Wilt thou debase the heart which God refined? No; let thy heaven-taught soul to heaven aspire, To fancy, freedom, harmony, resigned; Ambition's groveling crew forever left behind.”
James Beattie (1735–1803) said by 1803 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The challenge of the twenty-first century is not to demand equal opportunity to participate in the machinery of oppression. Rather, it is to identify and dismantle those structures in which racism continues to be embedded. This is the only way the promise of freedom can be extended to masses of people.”
Angela Davis (born 1944) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire, Prisons, and Torture (2005), p. 29.
“There is something for which Lincoln should be applauded, I believe. And it is that he was shrewd enough to know that the only hope of winning the Civil War resided in creating the opportunity to fight for their own freedom, and that was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Angela Davis (born 1944) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Environmentalism is a dangerous ideology endangering human freedom.”
Václav Klaus (born 1941) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (2007)
“Political correctness is the enemy of freedom because it rejects honesty and authenticity. We have to tackle it as the distortion of the truth.”
Mario Vargas Llosa (1936–2025) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview, El País, 27/02/2018
“Surely there is not a Muslim in the world who does not aspire to freedom in principle.”
Mustafa Ef. Ceric (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They who in folly or mere greed Enslaved religion, markets, laws, Borrow our language now and bid Us to speak up in freedom's cause.”
Cecil Day-Lewis (1904–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Life on the earth is a school of Wisdom and Realisation of the Self. God is the unseen Teacher who through His great sons, through Nature herself, teaches man the secret and source of the attainment of Life Immortal. Thus, life abounds in lessons. He who heeds them, heeds towards freedom and Light; he who neglects, dooms himself: in darkness in which the world to-day is steeped.”
Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By fairy hands their knell is rung; By forms unseen their dirge is sung; There Honour comes, a pilgrim gray, To bless the turf that wraps their clay; And Freedom shall awhile repair, To dwell a weeping hermit there!”
William Collins (1721–1759) first seen 1746 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ode written in the year 1746. A variation of the first two lines is "By hands unseen the knell is rung; / By fairy forms their dirge is sung".
“What we National Socialists want is revolution or, better said, the attainment of a German future by the ruthless implementation of national freedom, social justice and völkisch recovery.”
Gregor Strasser (1892–1934) said by 1934 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Gregor Strasser and the Rise of Nazism, Peter D. Stachura, Routledge (2015) p. 54
“We do not want a new war. But we are not afraid of it if mobilisation of German power should prove to be the ultimate means of restoring German freedom.”
Gregor Strasser (1892–1934) first seen 1913 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Germany from Defeat to Conquest, 1913-1933", Władysław Wszebór Kulski - History - (1945)
“Freedom lies beneath reality.”
“Can art, alas! or genius guide the head Where truth and freedom from the heart are fled? Can lesser wheels repeat their native stroke, When the prime function of the soul is broke?”
Mark Akenside (1721–1770) said by 1770 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a conservative organization. I am a conservative. You can't get more conservative than being a conservationist. Our entire raison de etre is to conserve and protect. The radicals of the world are destroying our oceans and our forests, our wildlife and our freedom.”
Paul Watson (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't think it's possible to be too aggressive in defending freedom of speech, which is ... much, much more sacred than any god, or prophet, or scripture, could or will ever be, from now until the end of time, or for eternity: whichever lasts longer.”
Pat Condell (born 1949) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Aggressive Atheism" (28 November 2009)
“People keep framing this as a religious freedom issue, but there's a difference between practising your religion — which everyone has the right to do — and rubbing your religion in people's faces as a triumphalist political statement, which is what's happening here.”
Pat Condell (born 1949) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bad faith at Ground Zero (28 August 2010)]
“Somewhere in the Bill of Rights is a Pig Amendment; our freedom to stuff ourselves cannot be abridged. Having so stuffed, we demand a technological solution to the fat problem. Give me cyclamates, or give me death! This is not only immoral; it is also boring.”
John Leonard (critic) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In social situations I still feel scared. My best friend and husband give me the freedom to be myself.”
Susannah Constantine (born 1962) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Retail therapists" by Fiona Neill in The Times (14 July 2007)
“These things shall be! A loftier race Than e'er the world hath known, shall rise With flame of freedom in their souls, And light of science in their eyes.”
John Addington Symonds (1840–1893) first seen 1880 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Vista", st. 4. New and Old (1880) p. 226
“Let them fear bondage who are slaves to fear; The sweetest freedom is an honest heart.”
John Ford (dramatist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[But] we should not be kowtowing to anybody when it comes to freedom in this country.”
Kevin Rudd (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think if I'm honest with myself, I could have made a lot of these decisions years ago. But I didn't give myself that freedom.”
Michelle Obama (born 1964) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michelle Obama Says She’s in 'Therapy' for 'Transitioning' into Her 'Next Phase' in Life People (May 6, 2025)
“I wanted them to have the freedom of not having the eyes of the world on them, And so when people ask me would I ever run, the answer is no. If you ask me that, then you have absolutely no idea the sacrifice that your kids make when your parents are in that role.”
Michelle Obama (born 1964) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Michelle Obama Opens Up About Raising Daughters Malia and Sasha in the White House Harper's basaar (July 22, 2025)
“Some people giving orders and others obeying them: this is the essence of servitude. Of course, as Hospers smugly observes, “one can at least change jobs,” but you can’t avoid having a job — just as under statism one can at least change nationalities but you can’t avoid subjection to one nation-state or another. But freedom means more than the right to change masters.”
“Despite the advances we have made in our 12 years of freedom, we must also recognise the reality that we still have a long way to go... We should never allow ourselves the dangerous luxury of complacency, believing that we are immune to the conflicts that we see and have seen in so many parts of the world.”
Thabo Mbeki (born 1942) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Fourth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture Address, Johannesburg, South Africa (29 July 2006)
“If the Jews are denied the right to live in freedom and peace, soon we will all be denied this right. If the light of Israel is extinguished, we will all face darkness. If Israel falls, the West falls.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech delivered in Tel Aviv in December of 2010, quoted in The Blaze: "‘Marked for Death’: Beck Interviews Anti-Islamist Dutch MP Geert Wilders" (2 May 2012)
“Freedom of speech is not the property of those who happen to belong to the elites of a country. It is an inalienable right, the birthright of our people. For centuries battles have been fought for it, and now it is being sacrificed to please a totalitarian ideology.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech (7 February 2011)
“I am here to warn Australia about the true nature of Islam. It is not just a religion as many people mistakenly think; it is primarily a dangerous totalitarian ideology. If we do not oppose Islam, we will lose everything: our freedom, our identity, our democracy, our rule of law, and all our liberties.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Who’s afraid of Geert Wilders? Populism and the politics of hate", The Conversation (20 February 2013)
“In my fight for freedom and against the Islamization of the Netherlands, I will never let anyone silence me. No matter the cost, no matter by whom, whatever the consequences may be.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement of Geert Wilders during His Interrogation by the State Police (9 December 2014)
“A worldwide movement is emerging that puts an end to the politically correct doctrines of the elites. The voice of freedom cannot be imprisoned. I tell you, the battle of the elite against the people will be won by the people.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Final Statement of Geert Wilders at his Trial (23 November 2016)
“To preserve our freedoms from the encroachments of Islam, we must do four things: defend freedom of speech, reject cultural relativism, counter Islamization, and cherish our national identity.”
Geert Wilders (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source