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. 1,159,190 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Freedom
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“Can a geology teacher blithely tell his students that the earth is flat, or a European history professor that the Holocaust didn’t happen? That’s not academic freedom, but dereliction of duty.”
Jerry Coyne (born 1949) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: More creationism sneaks into public schools" April 29, 2013
“The anarchists are not promising anything to anyone. The anarchists only want people to be conscious of their own situation and seize freedom for themselves.”
Maria Nikiforova (1885–1919) said by 1919 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Economic freedom is a highly desirable state — but in bust and boom we must be prepared to face the its consequences.”
Robert Heilbroner (1919–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Had Congress undertaken to guarantee religious freedom, or any particular species of it, they would then have had a pretense to interfere in a subject they have nothing to do with. Each state, so far as the clause in question does not interfere, must be left to the operation of its own principles.”
James Iredell (1751–1799) first seen 1788 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: July 30, 1788, p. 172.
“I am a fighter. I believe in the bright future of my country. I believe that the people of my country deserve a decent life, and I know that my people want to live in freedom.”
Roza Otunbayeva (born 1950) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Situation Is Not Easy" by Lally Weymouth in Newsweek (26 April 2010)
“Venturing further than the length of your sight Out past the reach of your beginnings There is a gamble in each proud act of flight But the losses pale before the winnings Circling and diving with this freedom you’ve found Illusion blows apart and scatters There is no darkness in this place that we're bound Love is the only thing that matters”
Dan Fogelberg (1951–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Pope Francis never stopped championing peace, compassion, and justice. A true ally in the fight for Julian Assange’s freedom. May he rest in peace.”
Julian Assange (born 1971) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Bryony Gooch, Julian Assange makes rare public appearance at Pope Francis’ funeral, The Independent (April 26, 2025)
“[Capitalism]... is a great troll. It settles in a society, and then eats away silently. Eats more and more freedom, more humanity, more human rights, more ability to speak...”
Ingeborg Refling Hagen (1895–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Terrorism for one person is a freedom fight for another. [...] If you think about it, "terrorism" is a subjective term depending on which side you are on.”
Octavia Nasr (born 1966) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Inside al Qaeda, CNN online transcript, June 14, 2006.
“Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights.”
Benjamin Rush (1746–1813) said by 1813 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Tell me why the caged bird nutters against its prison bars, and I will tell you why the soul sickens of earthliness. The bird has wings, and wings were made to cleave the air, and soar in freedom in the sun. The soul is immortal — it cannot feed upon husks.”
Randolph Sinks Foster (1820–1903) said by 1903 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Which would you rather have, capital lined up on your borders, trying to get into your country or trying to get out of your country? We are the capital magnet of this planet and we are the savior for not only people, for not only freedom, but also for capital.”
Arthur Laffer (born 1940) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Four Pillars of Reaganomics” The Heritage Foundation (January 16, 2007) from a November 13, 2006 speech
“Now I climb the steps to freedom, The open gates, I can see them. Hands once I knew Beckoning me through, As the sunlight touch my face, I can feel the warm embrace; Arms surround me, My life has found me...”
Mike Oldfield (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You fought for your freedom and won a different kind of prison. I will fight for mine—” “You can’t fight me,” Tearle reminded him harshly. “I know.” In the placid light, his face looked chilled and very weary. “But I can die.”
Patricia A. McKillip (1948–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“After I asked him [a student] what he meant, he replied that freedom consisted of the unimpeded right to get rich, to use his ability, no matter what the cost to others, to win advancement. No decent society can tolerate that definition.”
Norman Thomas (1884–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Legacy for the Young from Norman Thomas", Life Magazine, Mar 14, 1969
“Freedom of speech was set under the respect for the warlord, rapist and female-abuser Muhammad who murdered and accepted rape as a conquest technique.”
Carl I. Hagen (born 1944) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In his book Ærlig talt (2007) in a chapter revolving around the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, cited in Vårt Land (15 November 2007)
“The difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is a matter of perspective: it all depends on the observer and the verdict of history.”
Pentti Linkola (1932–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Adding insult to injury, the National Enquirer reports that Rielle Hunter (née Lisa Druck) has dumped [[w:John Edwards|[John] Edwards]]. So he's lost two elections, two women, his dignity and maybe soon his freedom and his law license. He may have a career ahead of him in country music.”
James Taranto (born 1966) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From Best of the Web Today for June 3, 2011
“[Schools should teach the history] of this remarkable country...the real history of heroes and bravery, of good versus evil, of freedom against tyranny. Of Nelson, Wellington and Churchill.”
Michael Portillo (born 1953) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Conservative Party conference (10 October 1995), quoted in Philip Webster, 'Tories make Europe their battleground', The Times (11 October 1995), p. 1
“In the guise of so-called freedom of separation of church and state, they're trying to institute a communist country and that sounds radical but that's the truth. I mean, why aren't they trying to take out, you know, "thou shall not kill"? That's a religious concept. That's a commandment. Why are they not taking that out of our legal system?”
Christine O'Donnell (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sir, there have existed, in every age and every country, two distinct orders of men—the lovers of freedom, and the devoted advocates of power.”
Robert Hayne (1791–1839) first seen 1830 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Hayne's Speech on Mr. Foot's Resolution, January 21, 1830, page 16.
“The best money can procure for thee is freedom to live in thy true self. It is more apt however to enslave than to liberate. It is good also when thou makest it a means to help thy fellow men; but here too it is easier to harm than to benefit: for the money thou givest another is useful to him only when it stimulates him to self-activity.”
John Lancaster Spalding (1840–1916) said by 1916 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yet it is groupthink around here. Everybody is so paranoid and saying: Oh, we can’t object to this lobby. Because this lobby is so powerful, we can’t object to them. Look, it isn’t about the ideas; it is about the freedom of speech.”
Rand Paul (born 1963) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 4 February 2019 about jewish lobby in ‘Combating BDS Act’ in the Senate
“Lucretius and his tradition taught Shelley that freedom came from understanding causation.”
Harold Bloom (1930–2019) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Anatomy of Influence (2011), p. 142.
“There is grim irony in speaking of the freedom of contract of those who, because of their economic necessities, give their service for less than is needful to keep body and soul together.”
Harlan F. Stone (1872–1946) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Morehead v. N.Y. ex rel. Tipaldo, 298 U.S. 587, 632 (1936).
“I can't tell you the joy I felt in flying in that show … I loved it so. The freedom of spirit that was Peter Pan was suddenly there for me. I discovered I was happier in the air than on the ground.”
Mary Martin (1913–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Mary Martin : Broadway Legend (2008) by Ronald L. Davis. p. 183
“We would be better off if we embraced certain voluntary constraints on our freedom of choice... better off seeking what was "good enough" instead of... best... better off if we lowered our expectations... if... decisions were nonreversable... if we paid less attention to what others around us were doing.”
Barry Schwartz (psychologist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[On running] For me running is about freedom. I find that the freer I feel, the faster I am.”
Jennifer Beals (born 1963) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: http://jennifer-beals.com/media/press/runners_world.html Runner’s World magazine (June 2009)].
“When freedom rises from the killing floor, No lock of iron or rivet can restrain the door. And no kind of army can hope to win a war Like trying to stop the rain or still the lion`s roar, Like trying to stop the whirlwind scattering seeds and spores Like trying to stop the tin cans rapping out jailhouse semaphore.”
Joe Strummer (1952–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Joe Strummer and Bono, "46664", written for Nelson Mandela's HIV/AIDS festival in 2003.
“Freedom is more than just a word and a patriotic concept. It is the purest intent of God.”
Steve Maraboli (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Tyranny is abhorrent, freedom benefits all, whereas violence benefits no one for long.”
Mark Kingwell (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The freedom to fail is vital if you're going to succeed. Most successful people fail from time to time, and it is a measure of their strength that failure merely propels them into some new attempt at success.”
Michael Korda (born 1933) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If a Jew has bought and circumcised a Christian slave or one belonging to any other religious community, he may under no circumstances keep the circumcised person in slavery; rather, whoever suffers such a thing shall obtain the privilege of freedom.”
Constantine the Great (272–337) said by 337 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 21 October 335 according to page 37 of Jews and Christians in the Holy Land: Palestine in the Fourth Century by Gunter Steinberger in 1999 (see also translation above)
“Surely this new age is not a repudiation of, but a fulfillment of, the American dream. What were the machines for, unless to give man a new freedom to choose how he would live?”
Charles A. Reich (1928–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As an artist you have to fight and survive the wilderness to keep your creative freedom. Creativity is very fragile. It's like a leaf in the fall; it hangs and when it drops you don't know where it's drifting.”
Karel Appel (1921–2006) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 91 'Quotes', K. Appel (1989)
“The true artist has no style. Style is an exterior decorative element. The true artist as servant of his matter, transcends it with an absolute freedom.”
Karel Appel (1921–2006) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote, 1984 - from ATV', 188; p. 49
“I am afraid of a new barbarism which is killing man's freedom.”
Karel Appel (1921–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But we have higher mathematics, haven't we? This gives me freedom from my senses. The language of mathematics is even more inborn and universal than the language of music; a mathematical formula is crystal clear and independent of all sense organs. I therefore built a mathematical laboratory, set myself in it as if I were sitting in a car, and moved along with a beam of light.”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We, the disinherited of this land, we who have been oppressed so long, are tired of going through the long night of captivity. And now we are reaching out for the daybreak of freedom and justice and equality.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Montgomery Bus Boycott speech, at Holt Street Baptist Church (5 December 1955)
“Freedom only comes through persistent revolt, through persistent agitation, through persistently rising up against the system of evil.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oppressed people deal with their oppression in three characteristic ways. One way is acquiescence: the oppressed resign themselves to their doom. They tacitly adjust themselves to oppression and thereby become conditioned to it. In every movement toward freedom some of the oppressed prefer to remain oppressed.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm getting sick and tired of people saying that this movement has been infiltrated by Communists. There are as many Communists in this freedom movement as there are Eskimos in Florida.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) first seen 1965 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in Playboy (January 1965)
“There is but one way to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation. That is to make its declarations of freedom real; to reach back to the origins of our nation when our message of equality electrified an unfree world, and reaffirm democracy by deeds as bold and daring as the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists, who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood. The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific, and religious freedom have always been nonconformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the nonconformist!”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself.”
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is my deep conviction that we have reached a turning point in our country's efforts to guarantee freedom and equality to all our citizens. Recent events in the United States and abroad have made us realize that it is more important today than ever before to insure that all Americans enjoy these rights. When I say all Americans, I mean all Americans.”
Harry S. Truman (1884–1972) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the NAACP (June 29, 1947)