474 Quotes About Freedom-of-speech

Like fighting evil, pushing back tyranny is ever an uphill battle.

Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. Humans should hold it up in their hands every single day of their lives and say from the deepest fathoms of their soul – “I am free – to think – to speak – to act – the way a real, novel, civilized being should – my ancestors couldn’t, but I can, and my children will”.

We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still.

Everyone is by absolute natural right the master of his own thoughts, and thus utter failure will attend any attempt in a commonwealth to force men to speak only as prescribed by the sovereign despite their different and opposing opinions.

...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.

To respect the opinions of those who stand against you is nothing short of courageous.

The claim "hate speech is not free speech" implies "free" is a type of speech, as opposed to how speech is treated in a free society.

You win a debate with a better argument, not by force.

Unlike a public performance, such as stand-up comedy, or a live play, reading a book is a very private experience. No one wants to be told what to read, or what they are reading is unsuitable, immoral, racist, sexist, or offensive, as they read a book, in the privacy of their own room. That is why literature will be the last bastion, in the arts at least, of free choice, free speech and free expression.