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Freedom

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• “Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on their own, even if the direction is one that "we" have never followed before. The family message is, "We're behind you, so you can be you.”

  Joyce Brothers (1927–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Well, when all is said and done Best within my narrow way, May some angel of the sun Muse memorial o'er my clay: 'Here was beauty all betrayed From the freedom of her state; From her human uses stayed On an idle rhyme to wait.”

  George William Russell (1867–1935) said by 1935 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I du believe with all my soul In the gret Press's freedom, To pint the people to the goal An' in the traces lead 'em.”

  James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) said by 1891 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “How could the USA champion individual freedom in the world generally while denying it to an important minority in its own country.”

  Dean Acheson (1893–1971) first seen 1863 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Civil rights in the USA, 1863–1980 (2001), p. 107

• “My constant appeal to American liberals was to face the long, hard years and not to distract us with the offer of short cuts and easy solutions begotten by good will out of the angels of man's better nature...The road to freedom and peace is a hard one.”

  Dean Acheson (1893–1971) said by 1971 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The bondage we are born into is the bondage we cannot see. Verily, freedom is little more than the ignorance of tyranny. Live long enough, and you will see: Men resent not the whip so much as the hand that wields it.”

  R. Scott Bakker (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I think there is a predisposition among Christians that Hollywood is anti-Jesus or anti-Christianity. I was warned I'd have to fight to maintain the freedom to express my beliefs. It's an unfair stereotype, and so far that's been the farthest from the truth. While everyone I work with may not share my beliefs, I have been surrounded by nothing but support." —Clay Aiken - Today's Christian Magazine”

  Clay Aiken (born 1978) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “I know I've dreamed you, a sin and a lie I have my freedom but I don't have much time Faith has been broken, tears must be cried Let's do some living, after we die Wild horses couldn't drag me away Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them some day…”

  Mick Jagger (born 1943) first seen 1971 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Wild Horses" (co-written with Keith Richards), on Sticky Fingers (1971).

• “We are more apt to feel depressed by the perpetually smiling individual than the one who is honestly sad. If we admit our depression openly and freely, those around us get from it an experience of freedom rather than the depression itself.”

  Rollo May (1909–1994) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Paulus : Reminiscences of a Friendship (1973)

• “Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.”

  Rollo May (1909–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Man is the "ethical animal" — ethical in potentiality even if, unfortunately, not in actuality. His capacity for ethical judgment — like freedom, reason and the other unique characteristics of the human being — is based upon his consciousness of himself.”

  Rollo May (1909–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The practical implicati´on is that one's goal is to live each moment with freedom, honesty and responsibility.”

  Rollo May (1909–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.”

  Rollo May (1909–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Under the administration of Rhodes, there were the fewest laws, the widest freedom, the least crime, and the turest justice, that I have ever seen in any part of the world.”

  Frederick Russell Burnham (1861–1947) first seen 1926 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Scouting on Two Continents (1926)

• “Real Freedom is to not feel limited when wearing this Zen robe, this troublesome formal robe. Similarly, in our busy life we should wear this civilization without being bothered by it, without ignoring it, without being caught by it.”

  Shunryu Suzuki (1904–1971) said by 1971 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “But there is no such thing as possessing a little freedom," Lee mused. "Once one enjoys any whatsoever, he will seek it all.”

  Harry Turtledove (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “A teacher?” Vyborg gasped. “They got rid of him in Mexico because he was teaching unauthorized garbage. Do you want him teaching his blasphemies here?” Berkowitz’s smile diminished by less than a millimeter. “Freedom of thought is not blasphemous, Sammi. He’s a great teacher.”

  Ben Bova (1932–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “No law can give freedom to a people which is dependent upon some power or authority outside themselves for the necessaries of life. The owners of the means of life can dictate the terms upon which all who are not owners are to be permitted to live.”

  Keir Hardie (1856–1915) said by 1915 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Perestroika did not give the people prosperity, something they expected of me, as head of state, based on an ingrained, traditional feeling of dependence. But I did not promise that. I urged people to use this new-found freedom to create prosperity, personal and social prosperity, with their own hands and minds, according to the abilities of each.”

  Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The Chernobyl disaster, more than anything else, opened the possibility of much greater freedom of expression, to the point that the system as we knew it could no longer continue. It made absolutely clear how important it was to continue the policy of glasnost, and I must say that I started to think about time in terms of pre-Chernobyl and post-Chernobyl.”

  Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Turning point at Chernobyl", Japan Times (21 April 2006)

• “Freedom of speech does not exist anywhere, for every community on earth forbids the use of certain sounds, words, and sentences in various speech situations. ...the habitual liar faces social sanctions ...Speakers are not allowed to misrepresent... to defame other people in public, to maliciously shout "Fire!" in a crowded movie theater, or to utter obscenities on the telephone.”

  Peter Farb (1929–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Where there is no freedom of speech, there is no conscience.”

  Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born 1969) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech on Freedom of Expression at the European Parliament (February 14, 2008)

• “In countries such as Pakistan and Iran, and to a lesser extent in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Tanzania, after the introduction of Islam, a significant regression occurred in individual freedom, the acquisition of scientific knowledge, and the rights of women.”

  Ayaan Hirsi Ali (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Making the rich poorer does not make the poor richer, but it does make the state stronger—and it does increase the power of officials and politicians, power more menacing, more permanent and less useful than market power within the rule of law. Inequality of income can only be eliminated at the cost of freedom. The pursuit of income equality will turn this country into a totalitarian slum.”

  Keith Joseph (1918–1994) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Stranded on the Middle Ground? Reflections on Circumstances and Policies (Centre for Policy Studies, 1976)

• “There is no country...where there are not somewhere lovers of freedom who look to this country to carry the torch and keep it burning bright until such time as they may again be able to light their extinguished torches at our flame. We owe it not only to our own people but to the world to preserve our soul for that.”

  Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) first seen 1933 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech at University of Durham to the Ashridge Fellowship, as quoted in The Times (3 December 1934); also in Christian Conservatives and the Totalitarian Challenge, 1933-40 by Philip Williamson, in The English Historica…

• “I claim that, unlike the totalitarian States, we have managed to secure both progress and orderly development in industry while still preserving to a large measure individual freedom and our individual enterprise, qualities upon which ultimately all our trade and industry depend.”

  Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) first seen 1937 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech to the Federation of British Industries (13 April 1937), quoted in Service of Our Lives (1937), p. 115.

• “The real need of the day is … moral and spiritual rearmament … God's Living Spirit can transcend conflicting political systems, can reconcile order and freedom, can rekindle true patriotism, can unite all citizens in the service of the nation, and all nations in the service of mankind.”

  Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Baldwin's response to the Munich crisis, as quoted in The Times (10 September 1938)

• “During the last 100 years, the House of Lords has never contributed one iota to popular liberties or popular freedom, or done anything to advance the common weal; but during that time it has protected every abuse and sheltered every privilege.”

  Joseph Chamberlain (1836–1914) first seen 1884 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech in Birmingham (4 August 1884), quoted in "The House of Lords: A handbook for Liberal speakers, writers and workers" (Liberal Publication Department, 1910), p. 96

• “One of the central purposes of democratic socialism was to extend throughout the community the opportunity of freedom of choice which used to be the prerogative of the few.”

  Roy Jenkins (1920–2003) first seen 1969 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech to the Labour Party Conference in Brighton (1 October 1969), quoted in The Times (2 October 1969), p. 1

• “I do not think you can push public expenditure significantly above 60 per cent [of GNP] and maintain the values of a plural society with adequate freedom of choice. We are here close to one of the frontiers of social democracy.”

  Roy Jenkins (1920–2003) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech in Anglesey (23 January 1976), quoted in The Times (24 January 1976), p. 2

• “It's impossible to write the history of freedom in this country without telling how trade unions have contributed to it.”

  Michael Foot (1913–2010) first seen 1976 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: On the ITV's Weekend World (4 April 1976)

• “It does so happen to be the case that if the freedom of the people of this country—and especially the rights of trade unionists—if those precious things in the past had been left to the good sense and fairmindedness of judges, we would have precious few freedoms in this country.”

  Michael Foot (1913–2010) first seen 1977 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech to the Union of Post Office Workers at Bournemouth (15 May 1977)

• “Thank God for the mind. It's the only place where we have freedom of speech.”

  Charles Reis Felix (1923–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Politicians who attack the dream of a federal Europe are racist bigots intent on undermining the Continent's freedom and peace.”

  Jacques Delors (1925–2023) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Speech to the European Parliament (4 May 1994), quoted in The Times (5 May 1994), p. 1

• “I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in—like peace and justice and freedom.”

  Banksy (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “The will to power is the will to ecstasy is the will to surrender is the will to submit and, in extremis, to die. Or to put it another way, the rage to attain a freedom and happiness one's psyche cannot accept creates enormous anxiety and ends in self-punishing despair.”

  Ellen Willis (1941–2006) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Review of Terror and Liberalism by Paul Berman, Salon (25 March 2003)

• “It’s not only corruption that distorts the utopian impulse when it begins to take some specific social shape. The prospect of more freedom stirs anxiety. We want it, but we fear it; it goes against our most deeply ingrained Judeo-Christian definitions of morality and order. At bottom, utopia equals death is a statement about the wages of sin.”

  Ellen Willis (1941–2006) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Ghosts, Fantasies, and Hope" Dissent (Fall 2005)

• “I think the craving for freedom for self-determination, in the most literal sense is a basic impulse that can be suppressed but never eliminated.”

  Ellen Willis (1941–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “To be anticapitalist is not enough. Socialist regimes have attacked the grosser forms of economic inequality, yet in terms of the larger struggle for freedom, socialism in practice has been, if anything, a devastating counterrevolution against the liberal concept of individual rights.”

  Ellen Willis (1941–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Definition of reality: the fastest possible version of all the details and degrees of freedom present.”

  Kevin Kelly (editor) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “As soon as this is over we'll go home To plant the seeds of justice in our bones, To watch the children growing and see the women sewing. There'll be laughter when the bells of freedom ring.”

  Elton John (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Freedom from suffering is a great happiness.”

  Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926–2022) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Old Path White Clouds : Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha (1991) Parallax Press

• “How much more forcefully can I say it? The time has come, and it is long overdue, when Christians and conservatives and all men and women who believe in the birthright of freedom must rise up and reclaim America for Jesus Christ.”

  D. James Kennedy (1930–2007) first seen 1997 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Character & Destiny: A Nation In Search of Its Soul D. James Kennedy, Zondervan Publishing House, 1997, p. 80

• “You can take everything from me except the freedom to look up at the sky occasionally.”

  Halldór Laxness (1902–1998) said by 1998 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

• “Absolute discretion is a ruthless master. It is more destructive of freedom than any of man's other inventions.”

  William O. Douglas (1898–1980) first seen 1951 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Dissenting, United States v. Wunderlich, 342 U.S. 98, 101 (1951).

• “The right to be let alone is indeed the beginning of all freedom.”

  William O. Douglas (1898–1980) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Dissenting, Public Utilities Commission of the District of Columbia v. Pollak, 343 U.S. 451, 467 (1952).

• “Christianity has sufficient inner strength to survive and flourish on its own. It does not need state subsidies, nor state privileges, nor state prestige. The more it obtains state support the greater it curtails human freedom.”

  William O. Douglas (1898–1980) first seen 1966 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The Bible and the Schools‎ (1966), p. 58.

• “This is not right, this is not the path of freedom for our country.”

  Nancy Pelosi (born 1940) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Interviews with: Gov. Kathy Hochul, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Pete Ricketts, Finland President Sauli Niinistö. (May 15, 2022 video)

• “There's no such thing as life without bloodshed. I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone could live in harmony, is a really dangerous idea. Those who are afflicted with this notion are the first ones to give up their souls, their freedom. Your desire that it be that way will enslave you and make your life vacuous.”

  Cormac McCarthy (1933–2023) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: The New York Times, April 19, 1992, "Cormac McCarthy's Venomous Fiction" by Richard B. Woodward

• “to study the nude, the foundation of all pictorial art, in total freedom and naturalness. From.. ..this basis there emerged the feeling, shared by all, of taking creative stimulus from life itself and submitting to the decisive experience.”

  Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) first seen 1913 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source

  Recorded in: Kirchner, in 'Chronik KG Brücke', 1913; a quoted by Wolf-Dieter Dube, Der Expressionismus in Wort und Bild (Genf and Stuttgart: Skira, Klett-Cotta, 1983), p. 34; as quoted in 'Portfolios', Alexander Dückers; in German E…

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