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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“Morale was deteriorating and it was all Yossarian's fault. The country was in peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of freedom and independence by daring to exercise them.”
Joseph Heller (1923–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I neither approve nor disapprove. I merely try to understand. Sexual freedom is as natural to newly tribalized youth as drugs.”
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The window opened gently and a still Autumn night entered cat-like. Edwin smelt freedom and London autumn – decay, smoke, cold, motor oil.”
Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom," Jonathan said. "There is no other.”
Richard Bach (born 1936) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If freedom is to be saved and enlarged, poverty must be ended. There is no other solution.”
Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.”
Aneurin Bevan (1897–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Search for a discipline within freedom! Don't let yourelf be governed by formulae drawn from decadent philosophies: they are for the feeble-minded. Listen to no one's advice except that of the wind in the trees. That can recount the whole history of mankind...”
Claude Debussy (1862–1918) said by 1918 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only the emergency that makes it immediately dangerous to leave the correction of evil counsels to time warrants making any exception to the sweeping command, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Art gives me the freedom I don’t have when I make music. In music, you feel a connection to the voice and think about the person behind it. In art that's secondary.”
Marilyn Manson (born 1969) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Regarding his latest art exhibition, as quoted in The Age (30 June 2010).
“get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing screw your freedom”
Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 11 August 2021 during interview with Bianna Golodryga of CNN, reported on by USA Today
“This is a complete denial of humanity, the overthrow of faith and traditional values. Indeed, the suppression of freedom itself has taken on the features of a religion: outright Satanism.”
Vladimir Putin (born 1952) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Putin Appointed 'Chief Exorcist' as Kremlin Whips up Satanic Panic", Newsweek, 26 October 2022
“We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, Our Flag will be recognized throughout the World as a symbol of Freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other.”
George C. Marshall (1880–1959) first seen 1942 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Statement (29 May 1942); The Papers of George Catlett Marshall Vol 3 (1991) by the George C. Marshall Foundation
“In the Islamic government all people have complete freedom to have any kind of opinion.”
Ruhollah Khomeini (1900–1989) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Human Rights Watch, Paris (10 November 1978)
“America, America, please hear us when we call You got hip-hop, be-bop, hustle and bustle You got Atticus Finch You got Jane Russell You got freedom of speech You got great beaches, wildernesses and malls Don't let the might, the Christian right, fuck it all up For you and the rest of the world”
Roger Waters (born 1943) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Leaving Beirut" on To Kill the Child/ Leaving Beirut (Roger Waters, 2005), regarding the war in Iraq
“America is a great country. It has many shortcomings, many social inequalities, and it’s tragic that the problem of the blacks wasn’t solved fifty or even a hundred years ago, but it’s still a great country, a country full of opportunities, of freedom! Does it seem nothing to you to be able to say what you like, even against the government, the Establishment?”
Golda Meir (1898–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Fashion is an imposition, a rein on freedom.”
Golda Meir (1898–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fundamental political question is why do people obey a government. The answer is that they tend to enslave themselves, to let themselves be governed by tyrants. Freedom from servitude comes not from violent action, but from the refusal to serve. Tyrants fall when the people withdraw their support.”
Murray Rothbard (1926–1995) first seen 1975 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Introduction to Étienne de La Boétie's Politics of Obedience: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (1975), p. 39
Also quoted by: Étienne de La Boétie (disputed)
“Freedom can run a monetary system as superbly as it runs the rest of the economy. Contrary to many writers, there is nothing special about money that requires extensive governmental dictation.”
Murray Rothbard (1926–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is the opportunity to live your life as you want to live it.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In seeking your own freedom and happiness, you have to deal with those who tell you that you shouldn't put yourself first. That creates a situation in which you're pressured to act negatively — to put aside your plans and desires in order to avoid the condemnation of others.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom is more often lost by false assumptions than by the power of one's enemies.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every person is the sovereign ruler of his own life. But few people ever recognize that fact. Those who do will make it their business to find freedom. Those who don't will invariably resign themselves to whatever 'society' makes available to them.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Gun-control laws don't reduce crime, but passing them gives politicians another soap-box opportunity to pose as crime-fighters. Conservative politicians act tough by repealing the Bill of Rights, while liberal politicians act tough by outlawing weapons. Neither action reduces the crime rate. But both allow politicians to feel self-righteous, and both undermine our freedom.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Government doesn't work, and I want the federal government out of them. The answer always is smaller government. Government forces one choice on everyone. Freedom provides a hundred choices.”
Harry Browne (1933–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Hindu Aryas are, among the modern peoples of similar race and language, the only great people to have conserved a living Aryan religion. That is their most beautiful entitlement to glory, the secret of their strength and pride, even in the midst of all their misery the secret of their freedom under all the past and future phases of foreign domination.”
Savitri Devi (1905–1982) said by 1982 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Freedom and democracy, That's the word from Washington every day. Put America to sleep with warm milk and clichés, And people are expendable along the way.”
Ani DiFranco (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must introduce a new balance in the relationship between the individual and the government — a balance that favors greater individual freedom and self-reliance.”
Gerald Ford (1913–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“# Constitutional freedom, as the right of every citizen to have to obey no other law than that to which he has given his consent or approval;”
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nature does nothing in vain, and in the use of means to her goals she is not prodigal. Her giving to man reason and the freedom of the will which depends upon it is clear indication of her purpose. Man accordingly was not to be guided by instinct, not nurtured and instructed with ready-made knowledge; rather, he should bring forth everything out of his own resources.”
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Metaphysics has as the proper object of its enquiries three ideas only: God, freedom, and immortality.”
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Human freedom is realised in the adoption of humanity as an end in itself, for the one thing that no-one can be compelled to do by another is to adopt a particular end.”
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most fundamental liberal failure of the current era: the failure to embrace a moral vision of America based on the transcendent faith that human beings are more than the sum of their material appetites, our country is more than an economic machine, and freedom is not license but responsibility.”
Bill Moyers (1934–2025) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: For America's Sake" speech (12 December 2006), as quoted in Moyers on Democracy (2008), p. 21
“I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed. The U.S. government will lead the American people in — and the West in general — into an unbearable hell and a choking life.”
Osama bin Laden (1957–2011) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Al-Jazeera interview, (21 October 2001), as reported in "Bin Laden's sole post-September 11 TV interview aired" CNN (31 January 2002).
“Contrary to Bush's claim that we hate freedom. If so, then let him explain to us why we don't strike for example - Sweden?”
Osama bin Laden (1957–2011) said by 2011 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I seek the spread of freedom and democracy in the way that satisfies God. [Americans] have planned and paved the ways for a long time, but it is God who is the real planner -- and the proof of this is the fall of the American twin towers[...]a miracle from God.”
Muqtada Sadr (born 1974) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Iraqi cleric calls 9/11 'miracle from God', CNN, March 27, 2004.
“Poetry is dead and buried in a world of growing LitVid and illiteracy, vidiocy I’ve heard it called. Being dead, poetry has enormous freedom; being ignored, it can blossom like a rose in a manure heap. Poetry is risen. Poetry is the messiah of literature but the angel has not yet told anybody it is risen.”
Greg Bear (1951–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We were innocent and did not know that the price of freedom—of individuality—is attention to politics, careful planning, careful organization; philosophy is no more a barrier against political disaster than it is against plague.”
Greg Bear (1951–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As soon as laws are necessary for men, they are no longer fit for freedom.”
Pythagoras (583–491 BC) said by 491 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Short Sayings of Great Men: With Historical and Explanatory Notes (1882) by Samuel Arthur Bent, p. 454
“Another glorious Sierra day in which one seems to be dissolved and absorbed and sent pulsing onward we know not where. Life seems neither long nor short, and we take no more heed to save time or make haste than do the trees and stars. This is true freedom, a good practical sort of immortality.”
John Muir (1838–1914) said by 1914 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The United States government has always been proud of the welcome it has extended to good men of every nation, seeking freedom and homes and bread.”
John Muir (1838–1914) said by 1914 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The intelligentsia of the Left were the loudest in demanding that the Nazi aggression should be resisted at all costs; when it comes to a showdown, scarce four weeks have passed before they remember that they are pacifists and write defeatist letters to your columns, leaving the defence of Freedom to Colonel Blimp and the Old School Tie, for whom three cheers.”
John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) first seen 1939 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to The New Statesman (14 October 1939), quoted in Joel Greenberg, Gordon Welchman: Bletchley Park's Architect of Ultra Intelligence (2014), p. 11
“Freedom means the right to be stupid.”
Penn Jillette (born 1955) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Free FM Radio Show (15 September 2006)
“If you can just convince the dope people that the gun people are right and the gun people that the dope people are right, we could actually live in a lot more freedom.”
Penn Jillette (born 1955) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Glenn Beck program on CNN (2 November 2006)
“The semimetaphysical problems of the individual and society, of egoism and altruism, of freedom and determinism, either disappear or remain in the form of different phases in the organization of a consciousness that is fundamentally social.”
Margaret Mead (1901–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 696, as cited in Social Cognitive Psychology: History and Current Domains (1997), David F. Barone, James E. Maddux, Charles R. Snyder . p. 20
“That is why we place ourselves alongside Russia as equal partners in the struggle for this freedom which means everything to us.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) first seen 1926 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Orientation: West or East,” Nationalsozialistische Briefe, (National Socialist Letters) (15 January 1926), as quoted in Goebbels: A Biography, Peter Longerich , Random House, 2015, p. 65
“We are socialists, because we see in socialism, that means, in the fateful dependence of all folk comrades upon each other, the sole possibility for the preservation of our racial genetics and thus the re-conquest of our political freedom and for the rejuvenation of the German state.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) first seen 1928 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Why We Are Socialists?” Der Angriff (The Attack ) (16 July 1928) as quoted in English translation Attack: Essays from the Time of Struggle, RJG Enterprises (2010) p. 262
“Marxism did not want socialism at all because the men stood and stand behind it preached phases of freedom, peace, and prosperity, but did not want social liberation at all, only using the workers as willing slaves for their purposes!... What we call National Socialism is the result of bourgeois betrayal of the national idea and Marxist betrayal of the socialist idea.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The fact that they gave us that [freedom of speech] is, for sure, one proof of how dumb they are!”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) first seen 1935 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech of the minister of the realm Joseph Goebbels (4 December 1935) (from 15'29" to 15'34")
“Socialism is the doctrine of liberation for the working class. It promotes the rise of the fourth class and its incorporation in the political organism of our Fatherland, and is inextricably bound to breaking the present slavery and regaining German freedom. Socialism, therefore, is not merely a matter of the oppressed class, but a matter for everyone.”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Socialism gains its true form only through a total fighting brotherhood with the forward-striving energies of a newly awakened nationalism. Without nationalism it is nothing, a phantom, a mere theory, a castle in the sky, a book. With it it is everything, the future, freedom, the fatherland!”
Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source