Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Freedom
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“When I was born good fairies clustered round my cradle, showering me with wit, beauty, grace, freedom from dandruff, natural piety and other great gifts, but the Wicked Fairy Carabosse (who had not been invited to the party) crept to my side and screamed "Let him be cursed with Inability To Do Little Jobs Around The House", and so it has always been.”
Robertson Davies (1913–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes for us in Canada it seems as though the United States and the United Kingdom were cup and saucer, and Canada the spoon, for we are in and out of both with the greatest freedom, and we are given most recognition when we are most a nuisance.”
Robertson Davies (1913–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The dialogical character of education as the practice of freedom does not begin when the teacher-student meets with the students-teachers in pedagogical situation, but rather when the former first asks herself or himself what she or he will dialogue with the latter about.”
Paulo Freire (1921–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I grew up with the concept of freedom of speech. So I'm too old, it's too late for me to adjust to the new world, the new world order.”
Bobby Fischer (1943–2008) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview en-route to Iceland, March 24, 2005
“Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Nelson Mandela on leadership, Chief Albert Luthuli Centenary celebrations, Kwadukuza, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa (25 April 1998). Source: From Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations © 2010 by Nels…
“Friends, Comrades and fellow South Africans. I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way. Universal suffrage on a common voters' roll in a united, democratic and non-racial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We also honour the great Che Guevara, whose revolutionary exploits, including on our own continent, were too powerful for any prison censors to hide from us. The life of Che is an inspiration to all human beings who cherish freedom. We will always honour his memory.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The people of South Africa have spoken in these elections. They want change! And change is what they will get. Our plan is to create jobs, promote peace and reconciliation, and to guarantee freedom for all South Africans.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Let freedom reign! The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement! God bless Africa!”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech for the "Make Poverty History" campaign. Trafalgar Square, London (3 February 2005).
“The Gandhian influence dominated freedom struggles on the African continent right up to the 1960s because of the power it generated and the unity it forged among the apparently powerless. Nonviolence was the official stance of all major African coalitions, and the South African A.N.C. remained implacably opposed to violence for most of its existence.”
Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom, that he always thought was outward motion, turns out to be this inward dwindling.”
John Updike (1932–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The general interest of the masses might take the place of the insight of genius if it were allowed freedom of action.”
Denis Diderot (1713–1784) said by 1784 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“MIT is governed by a second, even higher rule: the inalienable right of academic freedom.”
Nicholas Negroponte (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I thought that my invincible power would hold the world captive, leaving me in a freedom undisturbed. Thus night and day I worked at the chain with huge fires and cruel hard strokes. When at last the work was done and the links were complete and unbreakable, I found that it held me in its grip.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no external means of taking freedom by the throat. It is the inward process of losing ourselves that leads to it. Bondage in all its forms has its stronghold in the inner self and not in the outside world; it is in the dimming of our consciousness, in the narrowing of our perspective, in the wrong valuation of things.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In India, the measure of a singer's freedom is in his own creative personality. He can sing the composer's song as his own, if he has the power creatively to assert himself in his interpretation of the general law of the melody which he is given to interpret.”
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is fragile and must be protected. To sacrifice it, even as a temporary measure, is to betray it.”
Germaine Greer (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I must confess that I too am a woman and that I am always prepared to applaud a woman who is more daring than I, and is equal to a man in fighting for freedom of behavior.”
Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) first seen 1899 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. xxvii: Quote from Le Sourire (Tahiti, August 1899)
“One must permit his people the freedom to seek added work and greater responsibility. In my organization, there are no formal job descriptions or organization charts. Responsibilities are defined in a general way, so that people are not circumscribed. All are permitted to do as they think best and to go to anyone and anywhere for help. Each person is then limited only by his own ability.”
Hyman G. Rickover (1900–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Eternal vigilance, as they say, is the price of freedom. Add intellectual integrity to the cost basis.”
Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On the mountains there is freedom! The world is perfect everywhere, Save where man comes with his torment.”
Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) first seen 1803 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Die Braut von Messina (The Bride of Messina), Act IV, sc. vii (1803)
“It is through beauty that we arrive at freedom.”
Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) said by 1805 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I didn't plan on rock 'n' roll. I wanted to learn jazz; I got to know some people doing rock 'n' roll with jazz, and I thought I could make money playing music. In rock 'n' roll you can realize anything that you can in jazz or anything. There's no limitation other than the beat. You have more freedom than you do in anything except jazz — which is dying — as far as making any money is concerned.”
Robby Krieger (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The language of science—and especially of a science of man—is, necessarily, anti-individualistic, and hence a threat to human freedom and dignity.”
Thomas Szasz (1920–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Even love, the beloved Republic, that feeds upon freedom and lives.”
Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909) said by 1909 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To expect, indeed, that the freedom of trade should ever be entirely restored in Great Britain, is as absurd as to expect that an Oceana or Utopia should ever be established in it.”
Adam Smith (1723–1790) said by 1790 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the values are that you oppress people, you disappear people, you imprison people or even kill people for expressing their opinions, for expressing freedom of speech, that is not the kind of revolution of values that I ever want to see anywhere.”
Hillary Clinton (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom and equality, justice and opportunity. We should be so proud that these words are associated with us. I have to tell you, as your Secretary of State, I went to 112 countries, and when people hear those words – they hear America.”
Hillary Clinton (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.”
Pericles (494–429 BC) said by 429 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Homage to Greece (1943)
“Master and slave wear the yoke together. Anarchy is the only true freedom.”
Kim Stanley Robinson (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nobody living can ever stop me As I go walking my freedom highway Nobody living can make me turn back This land was made for you and me.”
Woody Guthrie (1912–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Keep clear of the dupes that talk democracy And the dogs that talk revolution, Drunk with talk, liars and believers. I believe in my tusks. Long live freedom and damn the ideologies.”
Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Stars Go Over The Lonely Ocean" (1940)
“In a political context of the utmost significance, ["freedom from fear"] recognizes a human right which, in a broad sense, may be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights.”
Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech at the celebration of the 180th anniversary of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (16 May 1956). Public Papers of the Secretaries General of the United Nations, vol. 3 (2010) p. 141
“Several decisions of this Court make clear that freedom of personal choice in matters of marriage and family life is one of the liberties protected by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. . . . That right necessarily includes the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.”
Potter Stewart (1915–1985) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Concurring, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, 169-170 (1973).
“Truth is its [justice's] handmaid, freedom is its child, peace is its companion, safety walks in its steps, victory follows in its train; it is the brightest emanation from the Gospel; it is the greatest attribute of God.”
Sydney Smith (1771–1845) said by 1845 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Understand the obstructions you are putting in the way of love, freedom, and happiness and they will drop. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you.”
Anthony de Mello (1931–1987) said by 1987 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who hold power, in power.”
Gerry Spence (1929–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The less of one's life one must exchange for money, the more freedom one may enjoy.”
Gerry Spence (1929–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Of what use is freedom of speech to those who fear to offend?”
Roger Ebert (1942–2013) first seen 1990 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Roger Ebert's Movie Home Companion (1990 Edition), p. 735
“I support freedom of choice. My choice is to not support abortion, except in cases of a clear-cut choice between the lives of the mother and child. A child conceived through incest or rape is innocent and deserves the right to be born.”
Roger Ebert (1942–2013) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: How I am a Roman Catholic" Roger Ebert's Journal (1 March 2013)
“Up against the ropes in the Iran-Contra affair, Ronald Reagan should have come out swinging, announcing clearly that this government carries itself in the tradition of the Marquis de Lafayette, that freedom fighters will no longer be left to die in the jungle, like Brigade 2506 at the Bay of Pigs.”
Michael Johns (born 1964) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Peace in Our Time: The Spirit of Munich Lives On," Policy Review, Summer 1987, by Michael Johns: Defining the Reagan Doctrine
“The true sign of decadence is not the collusion of the university and the state (something that is by no means incompatible with honest barbarity), but the theory and guarantee of academic freedom, when in reality people assume with brutal simplicity that the aim of study is to steer its disciples to a socially conceived individuality.”
Walter Benjamin (1892–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“First, America must have a strong defense. We must never forget that our national defense is about much more than the land within our borders. Just as we fought and conquered totalitarianism during World War Two — just as we fought and conquered communism during the Cold War — we are defending the idea of freedom itself.”
“Having served for nearly half a century in the House of Commons, I now want more time to devote to politics and more freedom to do so.”
Tony Benn (1925–2014) first seen 1999 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From a letter to his Constituency Labour Party, as quoted by Paul Waugh "Benn retires to spend more time with his politics", The Independent (28 June 1999), p. 5.
“Leaders must be optimists. Their vision was beyond the present and set on a future of real peace and true freedom.”
Rudy Giuliani (born 1944) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech before the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. August 30, 2004.
“Everyone should be able to build, and as long as this freedom to build does not exist, the present-day planned architecture cannot be considered art at all.”
Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“History is at once freedom and necessity.”
Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) said by 1937 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source