Top 100 Constitution Freedom Quotes
#1. Nothing's riding on this, except the First Amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters, but if you guys f-k up again, I'm gonna get mad.
Ben Bradlee
#2. A freedom given up is not so easily regained.
Rivera Sun
#3. No power over the freedom of religion [is] delegated to the United States by the Constitution.
James Madison
#4. [I]n my own case at least I feel my professional need for freedom of speech and expression prejudices me toward a government whose constitution guarantees it.
John Updike
#5. It's a curious fact about Americans that in their most fiercely patriotic moods they are willing to set aside their Constitution, the guarantor of their freedom, in order to prosecute war
yet they insist that the war is for 'freedom'.
Joseph Sobran
#6. Governor Ford is sworn to support the Constitution of the United States and also of this State Illinois, and these constitutions guarantee religious as well as civil liberty to all religious societies whatever.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#7. A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.
John Adams
#8. Every legislative limitation upon utterance, however valid, may in a particular case serve as an inroad upon the freedom of speech which the Constitution protects.
Stanley Forman Reed
#9. Today's Constitution is a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments. Those amendments speak to a sense of decency and fairness that I and other Blacks cherish.
Thurgood Marshall
#10. The Constitution created a framework, not a Ouija board, precisely because the Framers understood that prospect of a nation ruled for centuries by dead prophets would be the very opposite of freedom.
Dahlia Lithwick
#11. By their complying with your request to leave they [the Saints in Clay County] are surrendering some of the dearest rights guaranteed in the Constitution of our country; and that human nature can be driven to a certain extent when it will yield no further.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#12. Come, all ye lovers of liberty, break the oppressor's rod, loose the iron grasp of mobocracy, and bring to condign punishment all those who trample under foot the glorious Constitution and the people's rights.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#13. For the past two centuries, those who do not prize freedom have chipped away at every major clause of our Constitution until today we face a crisis of great dimensions.
Ezra Taft Benson
#14. Where has the genius of the pedistal [sic] of the laws and constitution of our boasted country fled?
Joseph Smith Jr.
#15. The two most important documents affecting the destiny of America are the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. Both these immortal papers relate primarily to the freedom of the individual.
David O. McKay
#16. We may continue to expect the enjoyment of all the blessings of civil and religious liberty, guaranteed by the Constitution. The citizens of Illinois have done themselves honor, in throwing the mantle of the Constitution over a persecuted and afflicted people.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#17. Ours is a representative republic with a Constitution in which is recognized the natural law and the natural rights of man. It is a republic with a spiritual foundation characterized by freedom - freedom for the individual and for his society.
Ezra Taft Benson
#18. Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth
George Washington
#19. The Constitution has a good share of deliberately open-ended guarantees, like rights to due process of law, equal protection of the law, and freedom from unreasonable searches.
David Souter
#20. With typical arrogance, the Anglos claimed to cherish freedom of speech but failed to recognize this right for anyone but themselves. Where did the Constitution say anything about English?
James Crawford
#21. Why should the constitution of a peaceful individual hold less weight than the constitution of a nation?
Joshua Emmet
#22. The benefits of the constitution and laws are alike for all; and the great Elohim has given me the privilege of having the benefits of the constitution and the writ of habeas corpus.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#23. A constitutional tradition that works is one that is in a constant state of dynamic evolution. You have a written constitution that says 'x,' but no constitutional system works if it just follows what's in that written constitution and never changes. Interpretation gives it the freedom to change.
Noah Feldman
#24. To prosper, a zoo needs parliamentary government, democratic elections, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, rule of law and everything else enshrined in India's Constitution. Impossible to enjoy the animals otherwise. Long-term, bad politics is bad for business.
Yann Martel
#25. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.
Lamar S. Smith
#26. A martial nobility and stubborn commons, possessed of arms, tenacious of property, and collected into constitutional assemblies form the only balance capable of preserving a free constitution against the enterprise of an aspiring prince
Edward Gibbon
#27. Be wise; let prudence dictate all your counsels; preserve peace with all men, if possible; stand by the Constitution of your country; observe its principles; and above all, show yourselves men of God, worthy citizens.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#28. Freedom is the default position. Everything the government does takes away some of our freedom ... That's why we have a constitution, to restrain the government.
Andrew Napolitano
#29. I am tired of the misrepresentation, calumny and detraction, heaped upon me by wicked men; and desire and claim, only those principles guaranteed to all men by the Constitution and laws of the United States and of Illinois.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#30. 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
#31. A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
James Madison
#32. As we see thousands of public and private Christmas trees and nativity displays around the country, they remind us again of the powerful American value built into our Constitution: our freedom of religion.
James Lankford
#33. Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government. But from the beginning, this nation trusted in God, not man. Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution.
Mitt Romney
#35. Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.
A.J. Liebling
#36. I believe in freedom of speech. And I believe that spending on political campaigns is a form of political speech that is protected under the constitution.
Marco Rubio
#37. I tip my hat to the new constitution, I take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around me.
The Who
#38. We believe in individual initiative, personal responsibility, opportunity, freedom, small government, the Constitution. These principles, these American principles are key to getting our economy back to being successful and leading the world.
Mitt Romney
#39. We [americans] are not a freedom-loving people in the beautiful, spiritual sense. We have an inspiring Constitution, but we're a hardhearted people.
George Carlin
#40. We are friendly to our country, and when we speak of the flag of our Union, we love it, and we love the rights the Constitution guarantees to every citizen. What did the Prophet Joseph say? When the Constitution shall be tottering we shall be the people to save it from the hand of the foe.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#41. If I lose my life in a good cause I am willing to be sacrificed on the altar of virtue, righteousness and truth, in maintaining the laws and Constitution of the United States, if need be, for the general good of mankind.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#42. A disturbing prospect looms before us as Americans consider the possibility of a second term for President Barack Obama. Millions of conservatives who revere the Constitution, with its guarantees of freedom and limited government, have watched with alarm as the campaign season has unfolded.
James Dobson
#43. I think it is appropriate that we pay tribute to this great constitutional principle which is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution: the principle of religious independence, of religious liberty, of religious freedom.
John F. Kennedy
#44. According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I [the Lord] have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#45. What is so powerful here is that we have the first federal appellate court and it's a case coming out of Utah affirming in the strongest, clearest, boldest terms that the Constitution guarantees the freedom to marry and equal protection for all Americans and all means all, including gay couples.
Evan Wolfson
#46. Many people don't understand how disciplined you have to be to play jazz ... And that is really the idea of democracy - freedom within the Constitution or discipline. You don't just get out there and do anything you want.
Dave Brubeck
#47. Our ideals of freedom, set forth and realized in our Constitution, are our greatest export to the world.
Robert Byrd
#48. The constitution did indeed guarantee freedom of speech, but the laws punished anything that could be considered an attack on state security
Milan Kundera
#49. The question now was ... whether that beautiful fabric [the English constitution] ... was to be maintained in that freedom ... for which blood had been spilt; or whether we were to submit to that system of despotism, which had so many advocates in this country.
Charles James Fox
#50. [The Constitution] will not be saved in Washington. It will be saved by the citizens of this nation who love and cherish freedom ... men and women who will subscribe to and abide the principles of the Constitution.
Ezra Taft Benson
#51. Freedom works, it turns out; the Constitution codified and structured freedom at a level unparalleled in world history.
Oliver
#52. If our free society is to endure, and I know it will, those who govern must recognize that the Framers of the Constitution limited their power in order to preserve human dignity and the air of freedom which is our proudest heritage.
William J. Brennan
#53. The constitution is itself the product of the freedom struggle.
Vayalar Ravi
#54. I am ... for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents.
Thomas Jefferson
#55. The principle of free speech is no new doctrine born of the Constitution of the United States. It is a heritage of English-speaking peoples, which has been won by incalculable sacrifice, and which they must preserve so long as they hope to live as free men.
Robert M. La Follette, Sr.
#56. The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.
Albert Einstein
#57. I have little patience with people who take the Bill of Rights for granted. The Bill of Rights, contained in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, is every American's guarantee of freedom.
Harry S. Truman
#58. The house of Austria has publicly used every effort to deprive the country of its legitimate Independence and Constitution, designing to reduce it to a level with the other provinces long since deprived of all freedom, and to unite all in a common sink of slavery.
Lajos Kossuth
#59. The freedom to bear arms may be righteously rejected to encourage the preservation of all corporeal forms of life.
Kevin Alan Lee
#60. [I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue.
John Adams
#61. Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
Abraham Lincoln
#62. It comes as a shock to most uninitiated folk that the constitution of the PRC does allow for freedom of religion.
Tom Muzzio
#63. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.
Edmund Burke
#64. It is the press, above all, which wages a positively fanatical and slanderous struggle, tearing down everything which can be regarded as a support of national independence, cultural elevation, and the economic independence of the nation.
Adolf Hitler
#65. Do we really want the FCC to conduct investigations and issue warnings to radio talk show hosts nationwide who simply discuss the important issues of our time? The Constitution says 'freedom of speech,' not 'freedom of government-approved fair speech in rationed amounts.'
Tim Walberg
#66. The time has now come to amend the Constitution to restore freedom of speech for America's people of faith.
Ralph E. Reed Jr.
#67. The liberals think government exists to fix what's wrong with America. They find fault with our Constitution, our economic model and our core values. We disagree with the premise of their argument. We believe there's nothing wrong with America that an extra dose of freedom won't cure.
Rick Perry
#68. The Constitution is the sole source and guaranty of national freedom.
Calvin Coolidge
#69. As the Constitution endures, persons in every generation can invoke its principles in their own search for greater freedom.
Anthony Kennedy
#70. The Internet's distinct configuration may have facilitated anonymous threats, copyright infringement, and cyberattacks, but it has also kindled the flame of freedom in ways that the framers of the American constitution would appreciate - the Federalist papers were famously authored pseudonymously.
Jonathan Zittrain
#71. If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought, not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
#72. Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics ... derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.
Benjamin Franklin
#73. The Constitution was never meant to prevent people from praying, it's declared purpose was to protect their freedom to pray
Ronald Reagan
#74. Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution. And whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.
Mitt Romney
#75. Privacy is not explicitly spelled out in the Constitution as freedom of speech is in the First Amendment.
Larry Flynt
#76. We have freedom of the press; I think it's guaranteed in the Constitution or something." The
Morgan Llywelyn
#77. Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to truth; and I am sure ... we both value too much the freedom of opinion sanctioned by our Constitution, not to cherish its exercise even where in opposition to ourselves.
Thomas Jefferson
#78. We hold that the Constitution does not forbid the states minor intrusions into an individual's body under stringently limited conditions.
William J. Brennan
#79. I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.
James Madison
#80. The Founding Fathers envisioned a federal government that trusts its people with their money and freedom, outlining this limited, non-intrusive federal government in ... the Constitution, leaving the other powers to people ... or to the states.
Milton Friedman
#81. Freedom is not a constitution, or the day it is declared, it's a long process and all of us, each one of us removing the constraints that keep us unfree.
Ari Sitas
#82. I follow a set of principles, I follow the Constitution. And that's what I base my votes on. Limited government, economic freedom and individual liberty.
Justin Amash
#83. Our forefathers got it; they got it, man. They took godly principles and they put them into action, and they developed our Constitution - the land of freedom where each man is accountable and responsible for his actions.
Luke Scott
#84. I think that it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation.
Margaret Chase Smith
#85. A democratic constitution, not supported by democratic institutions in detail, but confined to the central government, not only is not political freedom, but often creates a spirit precisely the reverse, carrying down to the lowest grade in society the desire and ambition of political domination.
John Stuart Mill
#86. The aim of any good constitution is to achieve in a society a high degree of political harmony, so that order and justice and freedom may be maintained.
Russell Kirk
#88. Freedom ... Freedom does not exist with personal responsibility!
Joseph P. Sekula
#89. President David O. McKay declared: "No greater immediate responsibility rests upon members of the Church, upon all citizens of this Republic and of neighboring Republics than to protect the freedom vouchsafed by the Constitution of the United States." (Conference Report, April 1950, p. 37.)
Ezra Taft Benson
#90. The Constitution does not guarantee freedom of worship. It guarantees freedom of religion. And this is what I call America's first freedom.
Rick Warren
#91. The constitution expects every man to do his duty; and when he fails the law urges him; or should he do too much; the same master rebukes him.
Joseph Smith Jr.
#92. Religious freedom is already protected in the United States. It's in our Constitution. It's in most state constitutions.
Dannel Malloy
#93. All speech should be presumed to be protected by the Constitution, and a heavy burden should be placed on those who would censor to demonstrate with relative certainty that the speech at issue, if not censored, would lead to irremediable and immediate serious harm.
Alan Dershowitz
#94. If one examines the American idea of freedom, the individual, free enterprise, their Constitution, their political and economic structures as well as their mode of exploiting their natural resources, all these are shrouded in the idea of justice.
Ndabaningi Sithole
#95. A constitution, intended to
endure for ages to come, and
consequently, to be adapted to the
various crises of human affairs.
John Marshall
#96. The civil rights movement is understanding your freedom under the Constitution of these United States and if anyone tries to take those freedoms from you, you better rise up and fight and that's what we're doing together.
Ken Hutcherson
#97. The word 'free' is used three times in the Declaration of Independence and once in the First Amendment to the Constitution, along with 'freedom.' The word 'fair' is not used in either of our founding documents.
Milton Friedman
#98. President Obama's respect for the Constitution does not extend to freedom of religion - his administration has forced religious businessowners to pay for insurance plans that cover activities in violation of religious precepts.
Ben Shapiro
#99. Government employees are public servants and prohibited by the Constitution from inhibiting religious freedom, that is a far cry from sneaking around and into a church and acting like KGB agents.
Mathew Staver
#100. Are you a Loyalist or a Patriot? Why, because being a God-fearing, self-reliant, freedom-loving American is a choice. Or we could be one of those government-dependent, Constitution-fearing socialists. That's the question, actually, the Founding Fathers asked. Are you a Loyalist or a Patriot?
Matt Shea
