Top 100 Quotes About Freedom Of Speech
#1. At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want ... for these are things that must be gained in peace as well as in war.
Eleanor Roosevelt
#2. Freedom of speech implies the world isn't defined. It is meaningful when people are allowed to see the world their way.
Ai Weiwei
#3. Too many people - some of them judges - seem to think that freedom of speech means freedom from consequences for what you have said. If you believe that, try insulting your boss when you go to work tomorrow. Better yet, try insulting your spouse before going to bed tonight.
Thomas Sowell
#4. We who officially value freedom of speech above life itself seem to have nothing to talk about but the weather.
Barbara Ehrenreich
#5. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
Zell Miller
#6. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom of offending culture, religion or traditions,
Staffan De Mistura
#7. We want to protect freedom of speech, but it is not unlimited freedom of speech. There has always been rules around defamation, slander and libel, and in Victoria, we have effective rules on racial and religious vilification.
Denis Napthine
#8. Hundreds of political prisoners still suffer in Tibetan prisons. Freedom of speech is not allowed in any sense. It is illegal to possess a photo of the Dalai Lama.
Joanna Lumley
#9. 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
#10. 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
#11. After September 11th, freedom of speech in America has become a topic that's touchier than a Vatican summer camp.
Dennis Miller
#12. I keep telling myself to calm down, to take less of an interest in things and not to get so excited, but I still care a lot about liberty, freedom of speech and expression, and fairness in journalism.
Kate Adie
#13. Somewhere along the line we started misinterpreting the First Amendment and this idea of the freedom of speech the amendment grants us. We are free to speak as we choose without fear of prosecution or persecution, but we are not free to speak as we choose without consequence.
Roxane Gay
#14. You don't just - you often have to defend the freedoms of people you don't like, you know, whose work you don't like, because freedom of speech is not just for serious people. It's also for trashy people. So, and, unfortunately, this is at the trashy end of the scale.
Salman Rushdie
#15. Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects that interest me and there freedom of speech comes into it.
Amartya Sen
#16. In the years since then, those four freedoms - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear - have stood as a summary of our aspirations for the American Republic and for the world.
Lyndon B. Johnson
#17. Freedom of speech doesn't protect speech you like; it protects speech you don't like.
Larry Flynt
#18. I am a passionate believer in freedom of speech. I would not support anything which would impinge on aggressive robust freedom of the British press, but when things go wrong and there has been outright illegality, there should be proper accountability.
Nick Clegg
#19. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of identity. This is my Holy Trinity, each one an intrinsic aspect of my god: Freedom, the Holiest of Holies. Yes it bloody well is. It is absolutely sacred and inviolable, beyond any negotiation or compromise, now and forever. Amen.
Pat Condell
#20. I would hope to inspire in my listeners a feeling of freedom - of speech, thought and political activity.
John Hall
#21. If you want to be free, or you want to preserve freedom for people, you both need to have laws that make it so people have freedom of speech and all the freedoms that they need. You also need to have an open governance system where people can vote and people have representation.
Mark Zuckerberg
#22. The Jesuits were good educators, exceptional teachers. In an era and in a society where freedom of speech was not held in high regard, of course, that the discourse be focused on what they were teaching, but we were able to go beyond this framework without incurring too great a risk.
Pierre Trudeau
#23. The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them.
Henry Steele Commager
#24. Any country where there is no freedom of speech is no more than a Kingdom of Animals where only the powerful speaks!
Mehmet Murat Ildan
#25. Freedom of speech and the press must be complete. But then freedom of association must be complete too.
Vladimir Lenin
#26. A state that suppresses all freedom of speech, and which by imposing the most terrible punishments, treats each and every attempt at criticism, however morally justified, and every suggestion for improvement as plotting to high treason, is a state that breaks an unwritten law.
Kurt Huber
#27. I grew up under Communism so we could only learn Russian, and then when Communism fell in 1989 we could learn a few more things and have the freedom to travel and the freedom of speech - and the freedom of dreaming, really.
Petra Nemcova
#28. I believe that the freedom of speech should be protected, but so should a family's right to privacy as they grieve their loss. There is a time and a place for vigorous debate on the War on Terror, but during a family's last goodbye is not it.
Dave Reichert
#29. It is within the established American tradition of satire, if America surrenders on this point, the freedom of speech is a relic of history.
Pamela Geller
#30. I begin to feel like most Americans don't understand the First Amendment, don't understand the idea of freedom of speech, and don't understand that it's the responsibility of the citizen to speak out.
Roger Ebert
#31. I will not abridge my freedoms so as not to offend savages, freedom of speech is under violent assault here.
Pamela Geller
#32. It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either.
Mark Twain
#33. I'll defend child pornography, how about that? What's wrong with seeing some child pornography? What if you watch child pornography because you find it hilarious? Then should it not a protected freedom of speech?
Doug Stanhope
#34. 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
#35. Freedom of Speech has become Freedom of Stupidity on the internet. Some ignominious users should not be given a voice to comment at all.
Michael P. Naughton
#36. I am aware that America is and must always be a land of freedom including freedom of speech. But there is a right time and place for everything
Beverly LaHaye
#37. Freedom of speech is central to most every other right that we hold dear in the United States and serves to strengthen the democracy of our great country. It is unfortunate, then, when actions occur that might be interpreted as contrary to this honored tenet.
Sam Farr
#38. Hand in hand with freedom of speech goes the power to be heard, to share in the decisions of government which shape men's lives.
Robert Kennedy
#39. Freedom of speech means that you shall not do something to people either for the views they have, or the views they express, or the words they speak or write.
Hugo Black
#40. So sometimes the facts are good and sometimes the facts are bad, the important thing from the point of view of a principle as broad and important as freedom of speech is that the courts articulate and set forth in a very protective way what those principles are.
Floyd Abrams
#41. Does a person have a right to change his or her own religion? This is a fundamental human right, just like a right to freedom of speech.
Miroslav Volf
#42. Without freedom of speech, there is no modern world, just a barbaric one.
Ai Weiwei
#43. Which country is suffering from too much freedom of speech? Name it, is there one?
Julian Assange
#44. We have to uphold a free press and freedom of speech
because, in the end, lies and misinformation are no match for the truth.
Barack Obama
#45. People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
Soren Kierkegaard
#47. [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
#48. The current total of countries in the world with First Amendments is one. You have guaranteed freedom of speech. Other countries don't have that.
Neil Gaiman
#49. Any government which fears freedom of speech and expression, should fear the internet more.
Robert Black
#50. It seems that the right of freedom of speech that was enshrined in numerous constitutions is now under attack by religious institutions.
Salman Rushdie
#51. I remember when I left Hungary," Zoltan said, "understanding so completely that literature could save me as much as it could get me killed. Of course it's not like that here. But isn't it funny, that in some ways the price one pays for freedom of speech is ... a kind of indifference.
Daphne Kalotay
#52. You can talk all you want about freedom of speech, but it's freedom of hearing that counts.
Tommy Smothers
#53. The exploitation of women, mass hunger, disregard for freedom of conscience and for freedom of speech, widespread and racial discrimination all these evils are far too prevalent to be overlooked.
Rene Cassin
#54. Living under the tremendous illusion that personal freedoms and freedom of speech are devoid of moral assumptions and responsibilities, we have bankrupted ourselves, so that honor, truth, and morality have been sacrificed at the altar of autonomy and self-worship.
Ravi Zacharias
#55. The constitution did indeed guarantee freedom of speech, but the laws punished anything that could be considered an attack on state security
Milan Kundera
#56. People hardly ever make use of the freedom which they have, for example, freedom of thought; instead they demand freedom of speech as compensation.
Soren Kierkegaard
#57. There will be no more protest. No more dissension. No more violence. There will be only one voice. The voice of Ravinia. The voice of Halla. Your voice." "There goes freedom of speech." I said
Alexnder Naymeer and Bobby Pendragon, Raven Rise, Page 458
D.J. MacHale
#58. Matangi's mantra is aim, which is MIA backwards. She fights for freedom of speech and stands for truth, and lives in the ghetto because her dad was the first person in Hindu mythology who came from the 'hood, but had gained enlightenment through not being a Brahmin.
M.I.A.
#59. I would rather put up with Rush Limbaugh and live in a country where we all do have freedom of speech.
Bill Maher
#60. By relying primarily on voluntary co-operation and private enterprise, in both economic and other activities, we can insure that the private sector is a check on the powers of the governmental sector and an effective protection of freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought.
Milton Friedman
#61. It is easy to believe in freedom of speech for those with whom we agree.
Leo McKern
#62. I'm not really afraid of somebody who's very politically vocal. My mother is very strong, and I really believe in freedom of speech.
Lindsey Haun
#63. Being born in Cuba, a country where freedom of speech is non-existent, it's startling to observe how Venezuela, where I was happily raised, is fast becoming Cuba's mirror image: Dismantling of fundamental democratic rights deserved by its people and citizens of the world.
Maria Conchita Alonso
#64. Confronted with such flagrant acts of intolerance - such abuses of the freedom of speech - a free society must surely do more. For intolerance is the one thing a free society cannot afford to tolerate.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
#65. Mainly, it's not that there are things you can't say. It's that there are things you can't say without the risk that people who previously lacked a voice might use their own freedom of speech to object.
Oliver Burkeman
#66. If you say, I'm living in America and I have freedom of speech but I choose not to use it because it's going to cost me, well, you're not living in freedom. You're not free.
Tim Robbins
#67. Lebanon is the only country where media kills more than bombs, injures more than guns ... and at last they say freedom of speech ...
Hussein S. Hariri
#68. Immigrants used to come to America seeking freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from government. Now they come looking for free health care, free education, and a free lunch.
Harry Browne
#69. The relevant part of the First Amendment here prohibits the making of any law, quote, "abridging the freedom of speech." And it's pretty well-established that speech comes in many forms.
Laura Sydell
#70. The great thing about improvisation is that it allows us to establish an uncensored form of theater. Freedom of speech is absolutely inherent to artistic expression.
Lucien Bourjeily
#71. Freedom of speech is a two way street, man. You have the right to say whatever you want and the Boss has a right to tell the police to arrest you.
Lenny Bruce
#72. If one more 'journalist' makes a cavalier statement about me and my band, I will personally or with my fans' help, greet them at their home and discover just how much they believe in their freedom of speech.
Marilyn Manson
#73. A false argument should be refuted, not named. That's the basic idea behind freedom of speech. Arguments by name-calling, rather than truth and light, can generally be presumed fraudulent.
Ann Coulter
#74. There is freedom of speech in Iran, but there's no freedom after you've spoken.
Shappi Khorsandi
#75. The Libertarian position on the freedom of speech is a strong support of freedom of speech, and we oppose government intervention in controlling what is or is not moral.
Michael Badnarik
#76. Freedom of Speech is Freedom of Music.
Sun Ra
#77. By limiting or denying freedom of speech and expression, we take away a lot of potential. We take away thoughts and ideas before they even have the opportunity to hatch. We build a world around negatives - you can't say, think, or do this or that.
Jill McCorkle
#78. But I - and I just think it's very - one of the problems of defending the extraordinary principle of freedom of speech is that you have to defend freedom of speech for people like that too.
Salman Rushdie
#79. Every generation has to protect every one of their rights, whether that's freedom of the press, freedom of speech, or freedom of faith. You have to remain diligent.
James Lankford
#80. Freedom of speech and thought matters, especially when it is speech and thought with which we disagree. The moment the majority decides to destroy people for engaging in thought it dislikes, thought crime becomes a reality.
Ben Shapiro
#81. Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to annihilating the Jewish state. It runs a theocratic totalitarian state in Gaza, with no individual liberty, and no freedom of speech or press.
Dennis Prager
#82. More and more Chinese intend to embrace freedom of speech and human rights as their birthright, not some imported American privilege.
Michael Anti
#83. Gorbachev gave us freedom of worship and freedom of speech and freedom to see what was going on and freedom to vote, but that freedom won't last unless it is underpinned by economic freedom.
Boris Yeltsin
#84. The fundamentals that founded our great nation included the freedom of speech and religion.
Markwayne Mullin
#85. When I left, Mr. Chairman, I had the constitutional right to freedom of speech. Has that right been stripped from the American people while I was gone?
Kenneth Eade
#86. We should not have either a blunt knife or a freedom of speech which is ill-managed.
Epictetus
#87. Freedom of speech is a great thing and we have said nothing that is not allowed.
Geert Wilders
#88. The standing orders of the Parliamentary Party, however, apply to me, apply to every other Member of the Parliamentary Labour Party and they put into a context the way in which those rights to freedom of speech should be exercised.
Ron Davies
#90. The Bill of Rights was intended to secure freedom of speech - the freedom of speech of members of parliament to speak freely rather than be at threat of ... the threat of an over powerful monarch at the time.
William Hague
#91. There was freedom of speech in this era," James Oliver reminds the gentle reader, "so long as you were prepared to pay for it at the end of a rope.
James A. Oliver
#92. J. D. Salinger, the greatly loved author who "had elected to silence himself. He had freedom of speech but what he had ended up wanting more than anything else, it seemed, was the freedom to be silent.
Michael Hofmann
#93. We all have the right of freedom of speech under the First Amendment. We all don't have to agree with one another on our opinions. Everyone in my circle, that I run around with, we all feel the same about God, country, integrity and character.
Luke Scott
#94. And why do we, who say we oppose tyranny and demand freedom of speech, allow people to go to prison and be vilified, and magazines to be closed down on the spot, for suggesting another version of history.
David Icke
#95. In Iran, there is no freedom of the press, no freedom of speech, no independent judiciary, no free elections. There is no freedom of religion - not even for Shiites, who are forced by Iran's theocracy to adhere to one narrow set of official rules.
Elliott Abrams
#96. The androcentric, patriarchal cultures, whatever you want to call it, are quite new. So, every economic statement should start with reproduction, not production. Every statement for human rights ought to include reproduction as a basic human right, like freedom of speech.
Gloria Steinem
#98. The greatest fears that governments have are freedom of speech and exposing the corruptness, the ineptitude, and the double dealing going on that they don't want the public knowing about.
Gerald Celente
#99. Americans have the will to resist because you have weapons. If you don't have a gun, freedom of speech has no power.
Yoshimi Ishikawa
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