Freedom Of Expression Quotes

I would say that not many German people are still alive, who experienced what happened during the third reich. We don't have to go to the Stasi, we can go to the Gestapo, and see what happens, when your human rights, your ability to a freedom of expression and a freedom of thought is infringed upon. This is terribly, terribly dangerous territory. ~ Ray McGovern

The constructs of organized thought are all around us, the golden age will come when they are freed. ~ Tom Althouse

What is the best thing that happens if we refuse to abide by the dictates of political correctness? I believe that we could return to a nation that truly cherishes freedom of speech and freedom of expression. ~ Ben Carson

Kindness has no boundaries. It is the language of the soul. ~ Amit Ray

The freedom of thought and expression is one of the most sacred rights in this country. ~ Eliot Engel

A country which is governed by the religious rules cannot be called as a country, but just a big open prison! Where freedom of expression doesn't exist, where freedom is just a dream, over there nothing exists, nothing but the utter ugliness of a fascist oppression! ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

In a conservative society, stability and order were far more important than freedom of expression. ~ Karen Armstrong

Freedom of expression - in particular, freedom of the press - guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy. ~ Corazon Aquino

when you disobey the rule, you sell your freedom. You cripple your real you. The daily direction of your life is restricted and directed by the rule and the ruling ~ Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

There has to be a cut-off somewhere between the freedom of expression and a graphically explicit free-for-all. ~ E.A. Bucchianeri

...Society needs to open its collective mind to all ideas and ideologies. It needs to give its people the chance to listen to the opinions of others, and then examine them critically instead of rejecting them prematurely. Such a creative dialogue based on positive critical thinking can enhance and develop ideas. ~ Raif Badawi

One certain effect of war is to diminish freedom of expression. ~ Howard Zinn

We can never intimidate and discourage the people who voice their words with courage. The essence of freedom rests precisely here - in the freedom of expression of the people. And we must protect it. ~ Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj

People should be respected for the strength of their convictions, and I also believe in freedom of expression. ~ Joseph J. Lhota

He understood privacy and freedom of expression were paramount to liberty, as incompatible as they may appear. One promoted yelling and screaming, while the other encouraged people to retreat and pull within. Yet, cornerstones to American democracy, people needed them both for the lives they took for granted. ~ Shelter Somerset

The assumption that we are infallible can we justify the suppression of opinions we think false. Ages are as fallible as individuals, every age having held many opinions which subsequent ages have deemed not only false but absurd. ~ John Stuart Mill

A slut is someone, usually a woman, who's stepped outside of the very narrow lane that good girls are supposed to stay within. Sluts are loud. We're messy. We don't behave. In fact, the original definition of "slut" meant "untidy woman." But since we live in a world that relies on women to be tidy in all ways, to be quiet and obedient and agreeable and available (but never aggressive), those of us who color outside of the lines get called sluts. And that word is meant to keep us in line. ~ Jaclyn Friedman

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about exhibiting in museums or about hanging it on the wall. Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don't think art is elite or mysterious. I don't think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention. ~ Ai Weiwei

Freedom is an ingredient of humble facts. ~ Arif Naseem

Every one has the right to refute any opinion. But no one has the right to prevent its expression. ~ Periyar E.V. Ramasamy

The use of "religion" as an excuse to repress the freedom of expression and to deny human rights is not confined to any country or time. ~ Margaret Atwood

We also have no taboos against freedom of expression. Although I am president, I must confront the criticism of party members in my election district once every three months. In addition, people pay close attention to what my wife does and how my children live. ~ Nguyen Minh Triet

A book is the only true land of the free: within its borders, anything is possible ~ Agona Apell

Governments that block the aspirations of their people, that steal or are corrupt, that oppress and torture or that deny freedom of expression and human rights should bear in mind that they will find it increasingly hard to escape the judgement of their own people, or where warranted, the reach of international law. ~ William Hague

In a system of intimidation and control, people do not show how much they know, how deeply they feel, until their practical sense informs them they can do so without being destroyed. ~ Howard Zinn

Any religion-based state has a mission to limit the minds of its people, to fight the developments of history and logic, and to dumb down its citizens. It's important to stand in the way of such a mentality, to deny it from continuing its mission to murder the souls of its people, killing them deep within while they are still alive and breathing. ~ Raif Badawi

Lose your freedom, and become a slave by borrowing. ~ Auliq Ice

What attracted me was less art itself than the artist's life and all that it meant for me: the idea of creativity and freedom of expression and action. I had been attracted to painting and drawing for a long time, but it was not an irresistible passion; what I wanted, at all costs, was to escape the monotony of life. ~ Pierre Bonnard

Every limited mind demands a certain freedom of expression, and the man who cannot express himself satisfactorily without the stimulation derived from the spirited mode of two centuries ago should certainly be permitted to follow without undue restraint a practice so harmless, so free from essential error, and so sanctioned by precedent, as that of employing in his poetical compositions the smooth and inoffensive allowable rhyme. ~ H.P. Lovecraft

Patrick Henry said 'give me liberty or give me death.' I think his famous quote makes it crystal clear that the Constitutional framework of this country values liberty as an essential element of life, worth dying for. If something is worth such a sacrifice, how can the loss of it be justified for the argument that it will make us safer to give up our liberty and our civil rights? Are we to tell the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers of all the soldiers lost in foreign wars that it was all a big lie? That they died for nothing? ~ Kenneth Eade

No matter how good a book is, it will lead to negativity when being read by evil people. No matter how evil a book is, it will lead to positivity when being read by good people. ~ Noob Loop

But Americans have also exercised an additional option for decades: make fun of something. The Constitution does not guarantee Americans the right to satirize or parody, but it does guarantee freedom of expression and the right to bear arms. When those last two items are put together and sprinkled with a heavy dose of wit, Americans have created a form of humor that both ennobles and destroys its subject at the same time. ~ Michael Kantor

<> I don't care if they are reading our mail. Bring it on, Tron! I dare you. Try to take away my freedom of expression. I'm a journalist. A free-speech warrior. I serve in the Army of the First Amendment. I didn't take this job for the bad money, and the regressive health care coverage. I'm here for the truth, the sunshine, the casting open of closed doors! ~ Rainbow Rowell

Man must be able to think freely and he must be able to express his thoughts freely! He who is against this is not only fascist and primitive but at the same time is a very great coward also! Only the brave and the honourable men are never afraid of freedom of thought and freedom of expression of ideas! Just like the cockroaches do not like the light, evil minds also do not like the freedom of thoughts! ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Criminalizing offensive speech is a far greater and essential danger to freedom than terrorism is. Anybody who wants to criminalize speech that they find offensive differs from the terrorists only in degree, not in kind. ~ Andy Levy

When Al Gore picked Joe Lieberman to be his running mate in the 2000 presidential campaign, Eszterhas wrote "Joe Lieberman frightens me. Why should we, an Hollywood voter, donate money to a man who threatens our creative freedom, our freedom of expression." ~ David Shuster

To understand Occupy Wall Street, you have to understand artists. Art is freedom - freedom of expression - and its message has resonated through society for centuries. ~ Peter M. Brant

Freedom of expression is a very essential condition for me to make any art. Also, it is an essential value for my life. I have to protect this right and also to fight for the possibility. ~ Ai Weiwei

Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy. ~ Gordon B. Hinckley

Because Freedom is the most important thing on life, let me Be. ~ John Steinbeck

So long as you believe yourself to be 'only human' you have accepted life in a prison cell whose door remains locked only by your own mind.
By saying, 'well, I'm only human', you have blindly submitted to all the limitations, fears, pettiness, greed and hatreds which make the common person weak and fragile.
Most never become aware that another way is possible.
You are human, but much more, too.
The much-moreness is the vast, brilliant freedom and power which has confined itself in your humanity.
If you are willing (and not everyone is, which is also a perfectly valid choice), you can begin to explore your native powers and experience freedom within limitation. When you do this, you live fully while you are here and you are no longer afraid to die.
When you are not afraid of death but seek to live in a state of always-discovering, this is when life is transformed and you accept your birthright to choose and create in extraordinary fashion. ~ Jacob Nordby

Those religions that are oppressive to women are also against democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression. ~ Taslima Nasrin

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

I hope that all critical Muslims read the ruling in full, because it states very clearly what freedom of expression in Denmark is about. ~ Carsten Juste

It is necessary to ensure that the requirement to combat terrorism is not used to clamp down on freedom of expression, legitimate dissent, freedom of association and so on. ~ Mary Robinson

This is the day I give birth to my liberation. ~ Helen Edwards

Two things form the bedrock of any open society - freedom of expression and rule of law. If you don't have those things, you don't have a free country. ~ Salman Rushdie

We should leave behind discrimination, because it is narrow-minded and ignorant, denies contact and warmth, and corrodes mankind's belief that we can better ourselves. The only way to avoid misunderstanding, war, and bloodshed is to defend freedom of expression and to communicate with sincerity, concern, and good intentions. ~ Ai Weiwei

Putting a book together is interesting and exhilarating. It is sufficiently difficult and complex and it engages all your intelligence. It is life at its most free. Your freedom as a writer is not freedom of expression in the sense of wild blurting; you may not let it rip. It is life at its most free, if you are fortunate enough to be able to try it, because you select your materials, invent your task, and pace yourself. ~ Annie Dillard

Total freedom of expression does not compensate for lack of talent. ~ Nicolas Gomez Davila

Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population. ~ Albert Einstein

Philosophically defined, growth is the struggle of life to control its environment or, rather, to include more and more of its environment within the area of its own self-knowing. Perfect freedom of expression is the goal of all life. All things, both animate and inanimate, are striving for that freedom which lies in perfect expression. It naturally follows that there is but one freedom – perfection. Every creature is a slave to those parts of itself as yet unresponsive to the impulses of its internal life principle. Every individual consequently is a slave to his own material constitution; he is a prisoner held in by walls of unresponsive substance. Thus the natural expression of the inner life principle is to refine and improve the qualities of its outer vehicles that it may the more easily control and direct them. It is evident that the more refined the substance, the more easily it is influenced by subtle forces. By a certain definite organization, consciousness equips its outer nature with organs of responsiveness, so that the lower self comes ever more nearly en rapport with its own Cause. A common example is the radio, which is a mechanical contrivance constructed according to definite scientific principles which enable it to pick up vibratory rates of sound inaudible to even the delicate mechanism of the human ear. ~ Manly P. Hall

Right to peace stands on the pillars of freedom of expression, respect for human rights, cultural diversity and scientific cooperation. Right to peace transform culture of war to a culture of peace. It is also saving humanity from the dangers of dark democracy, which exploits innocent citizens by implementing wrong law, purchased press and digital surveillance. ~ Amit Ray

Not enough people know or understand just how little freedom we have left. ~ Korban Blake

A question I have often asked is, 'What would an inoffensive political cartoon look like?' What would a respectful cartoon look like? The form requires disrespect and so if we are going to have in the world things like cartoons and satire, we just have to accept it as part of the price of freedom."

(Interview, The Hindu, 2012) ~ Salman Rushdie

Every one has their own journey and although some people's way makes no sense to you, it simply doesn't matter.
In these situations, the most loving thing you can do is allow them to follow their chosen paths.
Give yourself permission to let go, move on and do what's best for you.
Give freedom to yourself and others. ~ Mimi Novic

The threat or fear of violence should not become an excuse or justification for restricting freedom of speech. ~ Alan Dershowitz

When the human condition is finally demystified, human insecurity and nervousness will be at a maximum ... for this ultimate enlightenment to be allowed, society is going to have to adhere scrupulously to the democratic principle of freedom of expression. ~ Jeremy Griffith

From a comparative perspective, the United States is unusual if not unique in the lack of restraints on freedom of expression. It is also unusual in the range and effectiveness of methods employed to restrain freedom of thought ... Where the voice of the people is heard, elite groups must insure their voice says the right things. ~ Noam Chomsky

I think both freedom of religion and freedom of expression are both fundamental human rights, everyone has not only the freedom and the right but the obligation to say what Pope Francis thinks for the common good ... we have the right to have this freedom openly without offending. ~ Pope Francis

There were counter-protests, of course, and in the end Mapplethorpe's work was exhibited, but the message to the arts community was clear: stray too far from the innocuous, and the axe would fall. Call it selective censorship: freedom of expression was guaranteed unless it was expressed in a work of art. The most amazing aspect of this American morality play was not that the government would place self-interest above principle when it felt threatened, but that no one foresaw this coming from miles down the road. A reminder from history: the American Revolution was not financed with matching Grants from the Crown. COMMON ~ David Bayles

I shall stand for freedom of thought and expression in a place where it has been trampled and penalized. ~ Jalal Talabani

Give freedom to others to criticise your belief! No brave man is afraid of his belief being criticised harshly! Give freedom to people to challenge your belief, to challenge your ideas, to challenge your values! Be brave enough to give freedom to people to question your most beloved believes! Don't ever be a coward person who cannot defend his beliefs peacefully! ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan

Art is where we make a stand. If we don't make it there, freedom of expression is lost for everyone - for artists, for journalists, and for everyday people. ~ Lucien Bourjeily

The historical principles of librarianship - universal access to information, individual privacy, freedom of expression, and truth above all else - are as necessary now as they have ever been and must persist. At the same time, the balance of library leadership needs to swing more forcefully toward the new or libraries will fade in their significance to the American public. ~ John Palfrey

The only weapon that we have in our hands this evening is the weapon of protest. That's all. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

I know that no one is my judge. I live according to my own conscience and value discernment which is governed by Holy Spirit. I know my intentions and I walk my path with a clear conscience. Be careful not to make assumptions. I don't even allow my left hand to know what my right hand does. What makes you think I should explain my every unction and action to you? ~ Mishi McCoy

It is there, where they burn books, that eventually they burn people. ~ Heinrich Heine

I think it's a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power. ~ Ai Weiwei

To become self-aware, people must be allowed to hear a plurality of opinions and then make up their own minds. They must be allowed to say, write and publish whatever they want. Freedom of expression is the most basic, but fundamental, right. Without it, human beings are reduced to automatons. ~ Ma Jian

There is a time and a place for creativity. ~ William Redington Hewlett

Scholars, who pride themselves on speaking their minds, often engage in a form of self-censorship which is called "realism." To be "realistic" in dealing with a problem is to work only among the alternatives which the most powerful in society put forth. It is as if we are all confined to a, b, c, or d in the multiple choice test, when we know there is another possible answer. American society, although it has more freedom of expression than most societies in the world, thus sets limits beyond which respectable people are not supposed to think or speak. ~ Howard Zinn

If we do not believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we do not believe in it at all. ~ Noam Chomsky

Freedom of expression is actually a way for people to know themselves better, and to understand themselves better. Because without it, you become a stranger to yourself. ~ Lucien Bourjeily

When we ourselves are not truly in a place of peace and we go out and try to create peace in the world, it becomes a fragmented and sometimes even corrupt form of peace. This happens because only peace can create peace, and unless we are the embodiment of it, we are projecting our bias of what peace should look like onto other people's lives. To be at peace means to accept reality as is. Embodying peace is, in fact, the very essence of what it means to be free, as well as offering this freedom to others. ~ Alaric Hutchinson

One of the telltale signs of one who has completely embraced their authentic self is that they are, with great consistency, the same person in public as they are behind closed doors. Until you learn how to access your authentic voice, the uniqueness of who you truly are will never be fully realized. What makes you special (just like everyone else) is that you were placed here on this planet to express the one-of-a-kind being only you can be. ~ Dennis Merritt Jones

The United States gave me opportunities that my country of origin could not: freedom of the press and complete freedom of expression. ~ Jorge Ramos

It seemed that freedom of expression had run amuck, or had run as far as the Government would allow it to go. ~ Kenneth Eade

Fats was starting to think that if you flipped every bit of received wisdom on its head you would have the truth. He wanted to journey through dark labyrinths and wrestle with the strangeness that lurked within; he wanted to crack open piety and expose hypocrisy; he wanted to break taboos and squeeze wisdom from their bloody hearts; he wanted to achieve a state of amoral grace, and be baptised backwards into ignorance and simplicity. ~ J.K. Rowling

I am conservative with a small 'c.' It's possible to be conservative in fiscal policy, and tolerant on moral issues or questions of freedom of expression. ~ Mick Jagger

The Internet is transient. Information can be removed with a couple of mouse-clicks; it is an Orwellian dream. We have been advised, by people who claim to know about these things, that there is no point in protesting against a social network. Whoever owns the network will run it as they see fit, normally to maximize their profit margin. Members who dispute the rules will simply be thrown out. The Terms of Use are written so as not to allow them any recourse. ~ G.R. Reader

A nation of underachievers is easier to control than a society that excels. ~ Robyn Heirtzler

A freedom given up is not so easily regained. ~ Rivera Sun

The freedom of expression is a necessity for the self-knowing of every being, which leads to perfect expression which is the orchestrated unison of one's inner and outer worlds. ~ VD.

I support the rights of all people to practice their religious beliefs privately, but I oppose the idea of respecting religions. In truth, I have no respect for any religion. I believe religion is not compatible with human rights, women's rights, or freedom of expression. ~ Taslima Nasrin

Unapologetically expressing your creativity is the best aphrodisiac. ~ Euphoria Godsent

A common allegiance to form of expression that is identified with no single national unit is likely to prove one of the most potent symbols of the freedom of the human spirit that the world has yet known. ~ Edward Sapir

I can support Al-Qaeda, the Ku Klux Klan, buy weapons and drugs and all kinds of porn with my Visa card. There is nobody investigating this, but I cannot support a human rights organisation which is fighting for freedom of expression, - Olafur Sigurvinsson, supporter of wikileaks, taken from article by RT discussing a court battle over freedom to donate money to wikileaks. ~ Olafur Sigurvinsson

In their pursuit to make us choose the "right" option, politicians and media pundits create a new holy entity called freedom of expression. It becomes another sacred, holy, untouchable "cow." Another religious concept which if you're "killed" promoting, you become a "martyr. ~ Anonymous

Any restrictions to freedom of expression will always open the door to possible others, because analogical reasoning can mount arguments showing why this or that class of objects is closely similar to those for which exceptions have been made. ~ Randal Marlin

University of Havana
Student protests, which actually led to the closure of the university, helped to shape Autonomy for Cuba's university system. After the school reopened in 1959 the government's policy was to not interfere with school affairs. On November 27, 2007, five thousand people signed a petition insisting on autonomy from the state as well as freedom of expression for the island nations' universities and thus, this autonomy was even granted by the present Communist government. The concept of "University Students without Borders" was endorsed by both the students and faculty members, representing universities in the provinces throughout Cuba. The State of New York University (SUNY) in Albany, now offers their students the opportunity to pursue courses in Cuban history, culture and politics. Most of these courses, as well as intensive Spanish language classes, are taught to foreign students in Cuba. ~ Hank Bracker

The law is agnostic about truth. ~ Alan Dershowitz

I'm very keen on having true freedom of expression. True freedom of faith. And free practice of religious faith. ~ Mohammed Morsi

There is nothing as dreamy and poetic, nothing as radical, subversive, and psychedelic, as mathematics. It is every bit as mind blowing as cosmology or physics (mathematicians conceived of black holes long before astronomers actually found any), and allows more freedom of expression than poetry, art, or music (which depends heavily on properties of the physical universe). Mathematics is the purest of the arts, as well as the most misunderstood. ~ Paul Lockhart

Every religion has its dignity ... in freedom of expression there are limits. ~ Pope Francis

I am talking about anything that is a provocation - ignore it. When something falls under freedom of expression, you can read it and take a critical distance. ~ Tariq Ramadan

I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural way of things. ~ Naguib Mahfouz

There is no organised encounter group. There is simply a freedom of expression - of feelings and thoughts - on any personally relevant issue. ~ Carl R. Rogers

What kind of God is it who's upset by a cartoon in Danish?
[Interview with Bill Moyers, Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason, June 23, 2006] ~ Salman Rushdie

I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression, the truth and the good will outweigh the bad. ~ Matt Mullenweg