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Freedom

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“Freedom comes only to those who no longer ask of life that it shall yield them any of those personal goods that are subject to the mutations of time.”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't like the spirit of socialism – I think freedom is the basis of everything.”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) first seen 1916 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Constance Malleson (Colette), September 29, 1916
“We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought.”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) said by 1970 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure...”
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) first seen 1927 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Fresh Look at Empiricism: 1927-42 (1996), p. 443
“Imagination is not an empirical or superadded power of consciousness, it is the whole of consciousness as it realizes its freedom.”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: L'imagination (Imagination: A Psychological Critique) (1936)
“It is freedom, it is particularity, it is solitude that we are aiming at, and not Evil for its own sake”
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I am strongly of opinion that we require to strengthen our armaments by air and upon the seas in order to make sure that we are still judges of our own fortunes, our own destinies and our own action... Not to have an adequate air force in the present state of the world is to compromise the foundations of national freedom and independence.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (14 March 1933)
“We desire to see the return of a liberal age where Parliaments will guard freedom, where science will open the banqueting halls to the millions, and where what Bismarck once called "practical Christianity" will mitigate suffering and misfortunes.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'No Intervention In Spain' (8 January 1937), quoted in Winston Churchill, Step by Step, 1936–1939 (1939; 1947), p. 84
“The stations of uncensored expression are closing down; the lights are going out; but there is still time for those to whom freedom and parliamentary government mean something, to consult together. Let me, then, speak in truth and earnestness while time remains.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Defence of Freedom and Peace (The Lights are Going Out)", radio broadcast to the United States and to London (16 October 1938).
“Is there any need for further floods of agony? Is the only lesson of history to be that mankind is unteachable? Let there be justice, mercy and freedom. The people have only to will it, and all will achieve their hearts' desire.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1946 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at Zurich University (September 19, 1946) (partial text) ().
“All the greatest things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: Freedom; Justice; Honour; Duty; Mercy; Hope.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: United Europe Meeting, Albert Hall, London (May 14, 1947). Cited in Churchill by Himself, ed. Langworth, PublicAffairs (2008), p. 26
“The day may dawn when fair play, love for one's fellow men, respect for justice and freedom, will enable tormented generations to march forth triumphant from the hideous epoch in which we have to dwell. Meanwhile, never flinch, never weary, never despair.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (1 March 1955)
“That dependable courage, which in spite of the most sudden circumstances, nevertheless allows freedom of mind, of judgment and of decision, is exceedingly rare.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom — these are the pillars of society.”
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) said by 1906 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.”
Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) said by 1906 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Mussolini, Kemal, Pilsudski, Hitler and the rest can all depend on me to judge them by their ability to deliver the goods and not by... comfortable notions of freedom. Stalin has delivered the goods to an extent that seemed impossible ten years ago; and I take off my hat to him accordingly.”
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) first seen 1934 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Stalin-Wells Talk: The Verbatim Report and A Discussion", G.B. Shaw, J.M. Keynes et al., London, The New Statesman and Nation, (1934) p. 47. Also reported in Political Pilgrams: Western Intellectuals in Se…
“And now, gentlemen, what is the condition of the great body of the people? In the first place, gentlemen, they have for centuries been in the full enjoyment of that which no other country in Europe has ever completely attained—complete rights of personal freedom.”
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) first seen 1872 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Conservatives of Manchester (3 April 1872), quoted in Selected Speeches of the Late Right Honourable the Earl of Beaconsfield, Volume II, ed. T. E. Kebbel (1882), p. 507
“I wish to write such rhymes as shall not suggest a restraint, but contrariwise the wildest freedom.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) first seen 1839 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: June 27, 1839
“For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail?”
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) said by 1882 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The freedom of the individual and his willingness to follow real leadership are at the core of America's strength.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) first seen 1946 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address at Norwich University, Northfield, Vermont (9 June 1946)
“The general limits of your freedom are merely these: that you do not trespass upon the equal rights of others.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks to the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (22 April 1954)
“The purpose of the United States, in stating these proposals, is simple. [...] They aspire to this: the lifting, from the backs and from the hearts of men, of their burden of arms and of fears, so that they may find before them a golden age of freedom and of peace.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In June of 1776, Richard Henry Lee, rising before the Continental Congress to move his resolution for American independence, declared: "The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us; she demands of us a living example of freedom.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One hundred eighty years later, we know that the eyes of the world are fixed upon us. And we must ask ourselves: what kind of an example of freedom do we give to our age? What are the true marks of our America—and what do they mean to the world?”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“May the light of freedom, coming to all darkened lands, flame brightly — until at last the darkness is no more. May the turbulence of our age yield to a true time of peace, when men and nations shall share a life that honors the dignity of each, the brotherhood of all.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom under law is like the air we breathe.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are so proud of our guarantees of freedom in thought and speech and worship, that, unconsciously, we are guilty of one of the greatest errors that ignorance can make — we assume our standard of values is shared by all other humans in the world.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Strategies of Containment : A Critical Appraisal of Post-war American National Security Policy (1982) by John Lewis Gaddis
“I have to say that in 1981, making those decisions, I felt like I was providing enough freedom for 10 years. That is, a move from 64 K to 640 K felt like something that would last a great deal of time. Well, it didn't - it took about only 6 years before people started to see that as a real problem.”
Bill Gates (born 1955) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1989 speech on the history of the microcomputer industry.
“I'm a big believer that as much as possible, and there's obviously political limitations, freedom of migration is a good thing.”
Bill Gates (born 1955) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bill Gates backs immigration reform on Mexico trip" Reuters (21 March 2007)
“Communism… is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the conflict between existence and essence, objectification and self-affirmation, freedom and necessity, individual and species. It is the riddle of history solved and knows itself as the solution.”
Karl Marx (1818–1883) said by 1883 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We peer so suspiciously at each other that we cannot see that we Canadians are standing on the mountaintop of human wealth, freedom and privilege.”
Pierre Trudeau (1919–2000) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech (13 December 1980), quoted in It's great up north" by Henry Porter in The Observer (20 November 2005)
“We must now establish the basic principles, the basic values and beliefs which hold us together as Canadians so that beyond our regional loyalties there is a way of life and a system of values which make us proud of the country that has given us such freedom and such immeasurable joy.”
Pierre Trudeau (1919–2000) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: This quote from 1981 appears on the poster of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms(wikipedia) (1981)
“The Jesuits were good educators, exceptional teachers. In an era and in a society where freedom of speech was not held in high regard, of course, that the discourse be focused on what they were teaching, but we were able to go beyond this framework without incurring too great a risk.”
Pierre Trudeau (1919–2000) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Part 1, 1919 - 1968 The Road to 24 Sussex Drive, p. 21
“A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom — he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.”
E. B. White (1899–1985) said by 1985 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We guard them. We punish them if we recover them. We chain them. And still they seek their freedom.”
James A. Michener (1907–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I believe we are on an irreversible trend towards more freedom and democracy, but that could change.”
Dan Quayle (born 1947) first seen 1989 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: cited to the Wall Street Journal (May 26, 1989)
“The tragedy of our day is the climate of fear in which we live, and fear breeds repression. Too often sinister threats to the bill of rights, to freedom of the mind, are concealed under the patriotic cloak, of anti-communism.”
Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the American Legion convention, New York City (27 August 1952); as quoted in "Democratic Candidate Adlai Stevenson Defines the Nature of Patriotism" in Lend Me Your Ears : Great Speeches In History (2004) by W…
“Unreason and anti-intellectualism abominate thought. Thinking implies disagreement; and disagreement implies nonconformity; and nonconformity implies heresy; and heresy implies disloyalty—so, obviously, thinking must be stopped. But shouting is not a substitute for thinking and reason is not the subversion but the salvation of freedom.”
Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Call to Greatness (1954), p. 99
“At the root of our civilization, there is the freedom of each person of thought, of belief, of opinion, of work, of leisure.”
Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970) first seen 1941 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech, November 25 1941. Quoted in de Gaulle: "La France n'a pas perdu la guerre: discours et messages", pg 114
“...lift up your hearts and draw new faith from the resurrection of our people... Ultimately we shall live to see the kingdom of freedom, honour and social justice. Long live Germany!”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1932 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at the Lustgarten in Berlin, April 4, 1932. As quoted in Hitler's Berlin: Abused City, Thomas Friedrich, Yale University Press, 2012, p. 272.
“Germany has nothing to win in any European war. What we want is freedom and independence. Because of this desire we were ready to conclude pacts of non-aggression with all our neighbours.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1935 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the Reichstag (21 May 1935), quoted in The Times (22 May 1935), p. 18
“I have been guided always by the principle that German freedom has nothing to do with injury to others. ... It is one of the most elementary principles that nations should allow each other to live within their own territories as they wish to live.”
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Berlin (22 March 1936), quoted in The Times (26 September 1939), p. 10
“As sons of freedom you are now called upon to defend your most inestimable blessing. As Americans, your country looks with confidence on her adopted children, for a valorous support, as a faithful return for the advantages enjoyed under her mild and equitable government.”
Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) first seen 1814 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In New Orleans, Louisiana, 1814. As quoted in The Life of Andrew Jackson (1967), by John Spencer Bassett, Archon Books. p. 156-157.
“My literary theory, like my politics, is based chiefly upon one idea, to wit, the idea of freedom. I am, in belief, a libertarian of the most extreme variety.”
H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) first seen 1923 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to George Müller (1923), Marion Elizabeth Rodgers, Mencken: The American Iconoclast, Oxford University Press, (2005) pp. 105-106, first published in Autobiographical Notes, 1941
“Freedom of thought and the right of private judgment, in matters of conscience, driven from every other corner of the earth, direct their course to this happy country as their last asylum.”
Samuel Adams (1722–1803) said by 1803 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in Heaven, and with a propitious eye beholds his subjects assuming that freedom of thought, and dignity of self-direction which He bestowed on them. From the rising to the setting sun, may His kingdom come.”
Samuel Adams (1722–1803) said by 1803 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All theory is against the freedom of the will; all experience for it.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1778 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (15 April 1778) p. 393
“Satirists, be careful. In the 1931 film by René Clair Vive la Liberte a song says, "Work is freedom." In 1940 the sign on the gates to Auschwitz said: "Arbeit macht frei.”
Stanisław Jerzy Lec (1909–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Unfortunately, I am involved in a freedom ride protesting the loss of the minority rights belonging to the few remaining earthbound stars. All we demanded was our right to twinkle.”
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Telegram, turning down a party invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy (13 June 1962)
“I worry about my child and the Internet all the time, even though she's too young to have logged on yet. Here's what I worry about. I worry that 10 or 15 or 20 years from now she will come to me and say, "Daddy, where were you when they took freedom of the press away from the Internet?”
Mike Godwin (born 1956) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As EFF staff counsel, cited in "EFF Quotes Collection 19.6", 9 April 2001.