Freedom Quotes

So Brother Matthew locked the gate behind me, and I was enclosed in the four walls of my new freedom.
– Thomas Merton
The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good, in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.
– John Stuart Mill
For more than 20 years, on every one of the great issues of freedom and security, John Kerry has been more wrong, more weak and more wobbly than any other national figure.
– Zell Miller
I can remember when Democrats believed that it was the duty of America to fight for freedom over tyranny.
– Zell Miller
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.
– Zell Miller
It is to TV that I owe my freedom from bondage of the Latin lover roles. Television came along and gave me parts to chew on. It gave me wings as an actor.
– Ricardo Montalban
There couldn't be better parents than mine, loving yet strict. They disciplined with love. A child without discipline is, in away, a lost child. You cannot have freedom without discipline.
– Ricardo Montalban
It's impossible for me to feel like there's only one way to do a thing. There's nothing wrong with having one way of doing it, but I think it's a bad habit. I believe in range. Like, there's a lot of tunes that I play all the time-sometimes I hear 'em in a different register. And if you don't have complete freedom, or you won't let yourself get away from that one straight line, oh, my goodness, that's too horrible to even think about.
– Wes Montgomery
The elective system offered a bewildering freedom of choice, leaving some graduates with the impression that they had nibbled at dozens of canapes of knowledge and never had their fill.
– Ted Morgan
Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.
– Jim Morrison
Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself-and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to-letting a person be what he really is.
– Jim Morrison
The freedom to make a fortune on the stock exchange has been made to sound more alluring than freedom of speech.
– John Mortimer
Alaska's contribution to America's freedom isn't just the oil we provide or the food we harvest from the seas or our location which is the best in the world for our military. It is more than that. It begins with the fact that Alaskans are free-thinkers.
– Lisa Murkowski
Freedom comes from strength and self-reliance.
– Lisa Murkowski
We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
– Edward R. Murrow
There is nothing wrong with intellectual differences flowing from freedom of thought as long as such differences remain confined to intellectual debates.
– Pervez Musharraf
True believers in the freedom and justice of the American system, many internees simply could not believe that their country could do this to them. My own father could not even talk about his experience in the Tule Lake Internment Camp until 40 years after his freedom was returned to him.
– Bob Matsui
There are certain outcomes in terms of the development of our country that are fundamental to the very being of the ANC and therefore our government. I will mention only a few of these, all of which are consistent with the provisions both of the Freedom Charter and the Constitution.
– Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki
Given the conditions for the operation of the historic law - freedom and knowledge - Atheism will in this century be the common attitude of civilized people. Non-Christians are the great majority in every free country today. Atheists number tens of millions, quite apart from Communist activity, in such countries.
– Joseph McCabe
The theme is the theme of humiliation, which is the square root of sin, as opposed to the freedom from humiliation, and love, which is the square root of wonderful.
– Carson McCullers
It is the time that the state acquires its values and its proper place, being a guarantee of the law, security, property and freedom of the citizens.
– Alfred Moisiu
Undoubtedly, to protest secured people against terrorism is to protect the right to life in a society of believers that glorifies life and freedom.
– Hosni Mubarak
The true meaning of America, you ask? It's in a Texas rodeo, in a policeman's badge, in the sound of laughing children, in a political rally, in a newspaper... In all these things, and many more, you'll find America. In all these things, you'll find freedom. And freedom is what America means to the world. And to me.
– Audie Murphy
One of the best kept secrets in America is that people are aching to make a commitment, if they only had the freedom and environment in which to do so.
– John Naisbitt
We knew that if we called ourselves by our real names, we'd have the freedom to play with anybody we wanted to and still have recognition... we decided that was the best way the names fell off the tongue... Crosby, Stills, Nash-that's the best combination, we thought it rhythmically made sense.
– Graham Nash
Amending the U.S. Constitution, the document most sacred to those who love freedom and liberty, is a delicate endeavor and should be done only on the basis of the most clear and convincing evidence that a proposed amendment is necessary.
– Ben Nelson
We can take full comfort in realizing the continuing strength of our nation. America's lands remain radiantly rich with diversity, and freedom still reigns.
– Ben Nelson
Americans admire a people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have shown qualities that Americans identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, a passion for freedom. I have seen it. I know. I believe that.
– Richard Milhous Nixon
I also believe that academic freedom should protect the right of a professor or student to advocate Marxism, socialism, communism, or any other minority viewpoint-no matter how distasteful to the majority, provided.
– Richard Milhous Nixon
I never felt comfortable in real life very well. It's always been an awkward kind of thing for me and so when I hit the stage I just sensed freedom. I sensed here's a place that I can have all the experiences of life and not feel uncomfortable about it.
– Nick Nolte
You have to struggle a bit, hustle a little, and be willing to go bankrupt. Once you're willing to do that, everything opens up and you get the freedom. My joke is that next year, I'll make the first film that costs zero dollars.
– Nick Nolte
The way that you eliminate bad and ugly is either through activism and policy making that never tolerates evil -- instead of the liberal politically correct policy of accepting evil and accepting other points of views that destroy lives. We the thoughtful, productive people of American have got to take our freedom back.
– Ted Nugent
Many times I tell my American students my Iranian students understood how valuable [freedom] is because they had been deprived of it. Sometimes in the West we need to be reminded of the fact that blood has been paid for what we have.
– Azar Nafisi
I came from a country where religious fundamentalists, including governmental authorities, denied my freedom to have thoughts that are different from their own. As a punishment, they demanded my execution by hanging. I was forced to leave my own country. I had to pay heavily for the sole reason that I believe in human rights and freedom of expression.
– Taslima Nasrin
Those religions that are oppressive to women are also against democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression.
– Taslima Nasrin
Now, on the road to freedom, I was pausing for a moment near Temuco and could hear the voice of the water that had taught me to sing.
– Pablo Neruda
Freedom to many means immediate betterment, as if by magic. Unless I can meet at least some of these aspirations, my support will wane and my head will roll just as surely as the tickbird follows the rhino.
– Julius K. Nyerere
As Americans, we can take enormous pride in the fact that courage has been inspired by our own struggle for freedom, by the tradition of democratic law secured by our forefathers and enshrined in our Constitution. It is a tradition that says all men are created equal under the law and that no one is above it.
– Barack Obama
Remove advertising, disable a person or firm from proclaiming its wares and their merits, and the whole of society and of the economy is transformed. The enemies of advertising are the enemies of freedom.
– David M. Ogilvy
There must be no barriers for freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any asssertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors.
– J. Robert Oppenheimer
War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.
– George Orwell
A renewed commitment to the freedom and opportunity of our people is the touchstone of our time. In this new century, where tests are many and challenges change with the shifting of the wind, we must hold fast to the principles that have made our nation the envy of the world.
– Bill Owens
I believe the Patriot Act strikes the right balance needed to protect our freedom and security.
– Bill Owens
In this new century, our commitment to family and to faith, to community and opportunity, to freedom and to hope, will be the light that shines to lead us forward.
– Bill Owens
We must renew our efforts to keep our communities safe, from the dangers of terrorists from foreign lands and from common criminals here at home. Let no criminal believe that tough fiscal times will yield an open cell door and a ticket to freedom.
– Bill Owens
It is capitalist America that produced the modern independent woman. Never in history have women had more freedom of choice in regard to dress, behavior, career, and sexual orientation.
– Camille Paglia
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.
– Thomas Paine
Whether they wear police blue or desert camouflage, whether they're braving flames in Binghamton or bringing freedom to Baghdad, our uniformed men and women represent the very highest ideals of public service.
– George E. Pataki
I love flags... I think of the men and women of the armed forces that fight to protect peace and freedom. When I was a very small child I went with my grandfather, who was a Lt. Colonel in the US Army and served the country through four wars - WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam - to Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is one of my earliest memories.
– Robert Patrick
When freedom does not have a purpose, when it does not wish to know anything about the rule of law engraved in the hearts of men and women, when it does not listen to the voice of conscience, it turns against humanity and society.
– Pope John Paul II
History has taught us over and over again that freedom is not free. When push comes to shove, the ultimate protectors of freedom and liberty are the brave men and women in our armed forces. Throughout our history, they've answered the call in bravery and sacrifice.
– Timothy Pawlenty
Tyranny is always better organized than freedom.
– Charles Peguy
One of my great joys in life is being a pilot. There is a great sense of freedom in soaring through the sky. You get a different perspective up there. Seeing things that aren't so apparent from the ground.
– Sonny Perdue
If happiness truly consisted in physical ease and freedom from care, then the happiest individual would not be either a man or a woman; it would be, I think, an American cow.
– William Lyon Phelps
Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest.
– Peace Pilgrim
Old age has a great sense of calm and freedom. When the passions have relaxed their hold and have escaped, not from one master, but from many.
– Plato
I think the definition of an artist is not necessarily tied into excellence or talent; an artist is somebody who, if you took away their freedom to make art, would lose their mind.
– Richard Price
I'm much more comfortable with doing interviews now because I'm harder to misquote. Everything I'm about is freedom of choice and knowing what the truth can do.
– Prince
As long as men are free to ask what they must, free to say what they think, free to think what they will, freedom can never be lost and science can never regress.
– Marcel Proust
Remove advertising, disable a person or firm from preconising its wares and their merits, and the whole of society and of the economy is transformed. The enemies of advertising are enemies of freedom.
– J. Enoch Powell
When truth is no longer free, freedom is no longer real: the truths of the police are the truths of today.
– Jacques Prevert
Laissez Faire, laissez passer. Let it be, let it pass. The phrase is not readily translatable. It was widely used by the Physiocrats in urging freedom from government interference and was adopted by Adam Smith.
– Francois Quesnay
You recognize but one rule of commerce; that is (to avail myself of your own terms) to allow free passage and freedom of action to all buyers and sellers whoever they may be.
– Francois Quesnay
A just laicism allows religious freedom. The state does not impose religion but rather gives space to religions with a responsibility toward civil society, and therefore it allows these religions to be factors in building up society.
– Joseph Ratzinger
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
– Ronald Reagan
The President, in talking about freedom and democracy, is sparking a wave of very positive democratic sentiment that might help us override both Islamic fundamentalism that has formed in that region, and also some of the hatred for our policies of invading Iraq.
– Bill Richardson
The Harvey Lembeck Workshop was for me a support group. A place where I had the freedom to fall on my face.
– John Ritter
In a society where the rights and potential of women are constrained, no man can be truly free. He may have power, but he will not have freedom.
– Mary Robinson
To the extent that tenure supports academic freedom, I support tenure. I want no person or system to have any power, real or apparent, to chill academic freedom.
– James E. Rogers
We Americans have the great gifts of freedom and democracy, but it has been our education system that has fulfilled the promise of democracy.
– James E. Rogers
There are more people living in freedom today than at any other time in the history of the human race.
– Mike Rounds
Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government thinks itself secure.
– Bertrand Russell
We are faced with the paradoxical fact that education has become one of the chief obstacles to intelligence and freedom of thought.
– Bertrand Russell
I have only to speak for myself; to speak for freedom for myself; to determine for freedom for myself; and in doing so, I speak and determine for the freedom of every slave on every plantation, and for the fugitives on my right hand.
– Charles Lenox Remond
We should silence anyone who opposes the right to freedom of speech.
– Boyle Roche
Just like then, today we can draw the world's attention to the fact that, unlike the majority of Europe, the year 1945 did not bring us freedom.
– Arnold Ruutel
Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth; when perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.
– Cornelius Tacitus
What happened on September 11 compels us to focus on who we are as Americans, what we stand for, what really matters in our lives - family, friends, faith and freedom.
– Bob Taft
I shall stand for freedom of thought and expression in a place where it has been trampled and penalized.
– Jalal Talabani
It is the American air protection, which safeguards the freedom enjoyed by the Kurdish region. It guarantees the cultural, health and civilizational progress made in Iraqi Kurdistan.
– Jalal Talabani
My reply was that the Kurdish people welcome the presence of American forces in Kurdistan in order to defend the freedom they enjoy and to prevent being attacked with weapons of mass destruction.
– Jalal Talabani
The victory of the new Iraq will be the triumph of freedom over hate, of decency over intolerance.
– Jalal Talabani
Time and again the U.S. has given the world its most precious resource in the cause of freedom, the lives of its most talented and courageous young men and women.
– Jalal Talabani
We must provide all kinds of freedom, personal and economic, to all Iraqis. I will fight for that.
– Jalal Talabani
If we hold true to our ideals and our commitment to freedom, this generation of servicemen and women will have extended liberty to the Iraqi people, just as previous generations of Americans have all across the globe.
– James Talent
The elections in Iraq are a victory for freedom and the Iraqi people, and a blow to the transnational network of terrorists who have tried to prevent this day from happening.
– James Talent
Freedom is a lonely battle, but if the United States doesn't lead it - sometimes imperfectly, but mostly with honor - who will?
– Cal Thomas
I believe our flag is more than just cloth and ink. It is a universally recognized symbol that stands for liberty, and freedom. It is the history of our nation, and it's marked by the blood of those who died defending it.
– John Thune
No protracted war can fail to endanger the freedom of a democratic country.
– Alexis de Tocqueville
Man is not made for games games are made for man, Cardinal Tettamanzi said. He acknowledged that games can offer a source of relaxation and enjoyment which are necessary and sometimes essential. But he argued that when the game is motivated by profit, the results can dominate individuals, depriving them of their freedom to act and chaining them in servitude.
– Dionigi Tettamanzi
The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.
– Thucydides
As people grow up and they want more freedom, it's on an individual basis, children want to have more freedom, you've got to allow that, so how do you balance it. I would say let it evolve, move as quickly or slowly as people would like to move.
– Goh Chok Tong
Brothers in suffering, brothers in resistance, brothers in ideals and conviction. It is now our duty to further strengthen this bond in order to secure this hard-won freedom for future generations.
– Guy Verhofstadt
The conviction that ideas which threaten our freedom, our democracy and our families can never be allowed to win.
– Guy Verhofstadt
We need to stay in Iraq until the job is done. The President understands this and I'm glad that he is getting more countries to participate. We must change the chant of millions of young Muslims from 'Jihad Against the World' to 'Freedom and Democracy.'
– George Voinovich
Let a new earth rise. Let another world be born. Let a bloody peace be written in the sky. Let a second generation full of courage issue forth; let a people loving freedom come to growth.
– Margaret Walker
With freedom comes responsibility, and I can think of no responsibility greater than putting on a U.S military uniform and standing in the gap between an enemy threat and civilian life.
– Zack Wamp
Tragically, the effort to make America and the world safer and to defend freedom around the world is not without an enormous cost to this Nation in terms primarily of lost lives and those who bear the scars and the wounds of war, and their families who must bear these losses.
– John Warner
Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness.
– James D. Watson
The arts are the rain forests of society. They produce the oxygen of freedom, and they are the early warning system when freedom is in danger.
– June Wayne