People who exercise their embryonic freedom day after day, little by little, expand that freedom. People who do not will find that it withers until they are literally “being lived.” They are acting out scripts written by parents, associates and society.
—Stephen Covey (1932–2012) American Self-help Author
Democracy arose from men’s thinking that if they are equal in any respect, they are equal absolutely.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
A slave is a free man if he is content with his lot; a free man is a slave if he seeks more than that.
—Unknown
A forest bird never wants a cage.
—Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906) Norwegian Playwright
To be what no one ever was,
To be what everyone has been:
Freedom is the mean of those
Extremes that fence all effort in.
—Mark Van Doren (1894–1972) American Poet, Writer, Critic
You can muffle the drum, and you can loosen the strings of the lyre, but who shall command the skylark not to sing?
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
Do you want to be right more than you want to know the truth? It’s the truth that set me free. Acceptance, peace, and less attachment to a world of suffering are all effects of doing The Work. They’re not the goals. Do The Work for the love of freedom, for the love of truth.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
One of our greatest assets is that all men aspire to be equal and free. This fact haunts the rulers of the Kremlin today for even they cannot change this law of nature and they know it. It is up to us, not only by example but by positive acts, to make the most of this driving force within mankind.
—Allen Welsh Dulles (1893–1969) American Intelligence Officer
Governing sense, mind and intellect, intent on liberation, free from desire, fear and anger, the sage is forever free.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture
Free will is not the liberty to do whatever one likes, but the power of doing whatever one sees ought to be done, even in the very face of otherwise overwhelming impulse. There lies freedom, indeed.
—George MacDonald (1824–1905) Scottish Novelist, Lecturer, Poet
In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.
—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945) American Head of State, Lawyer
We defy augury. There’s a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, ‘Tis not to come. If it be not to come, it will be now. If it be not now, yet it will come. The readiness is all.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
How is freedom measured, in individuals as in nations? By the resistance which has to be overcome, by the effort it costs to stay aloft. One would have to seek the highest type of free man where the greatest resistance is constantly being overcome: five steps from tyranny, near the threshold of the danger of servitude.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
When we were told that by freedom we understood free enterprise, we did very little to dispel this monstrous falsehood. Wealth and economic well-being, we have asserted, are the fruits of freedom, while we should have been the first to know that this kind of happiness has been an unmixed blessing only in this country, and it is a minor blessing compared with the truly political freedoms, such as freedom of speech and thought, of assembly and association, even under the best conditions.
—Hannah Arendt (1906–75) German-American Philosopher, Political Theorist
Order without liberty and liberty without order are equally destructive.
—Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Explorer
We have enjoyed so much freedom for so long that we are perhaps in danger of forgetting how much blood it cost to establish the Bill of Rights.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Real freedom isn’t subject to how others estimate our value; it is in realizing that none are free who find their sense of worth wondering how others measure their lives.
—Guy Finley
Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose—and commit myself to—what is best for me.
—Paulo Coelho (b.1947) Brazilian Songwriter, Novelist
Money is a lubricant. It lets you “slide” through life instead of having to “scrape” by. Money brings freedom—freedom to buy what you want , and freedom to do what you want with your time. Money allows you to enjoy the finer things in life as well as giving you the opportunity to help others have the necessities in life. Most of all, having money allows you not to have to spend your energy worrying about not having money.
—T. Harv Eker (b.1954) American Motivational Speaker, Lecturer, Author
Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone, whether they are rich or poor, whether they agree with us or not, no matter what their race or the color of their skin.
—Wendell Willkie (1892–1944) American Politician, Lawyer
Bondage is… subjection to external influences and internal negative thoughts and attitudes.
—W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American Self-help Guru, Entrepreneur
I am entirely motivated without anger. The truth sets us free, and freedom acts.
—Byron Katie (b.1942) American Speaker, Author
A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
—Milton Friedman (1912–2006) American Economist
I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.
—Simone de Beauvoir (1908–86) French Philosopher, Writer, Feminist
The moment the slave resolves that he will no longer be a slave. His fetters fall… freedom and slavery are mental states.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
Liberty is to the collective body, what health is to every individual body. Without health no pleasure can be tasted by man; without liberty, no happiness can be enjoyed by society.
—Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678–1751) English Politician, Philosopher
Yet, Freedom! yet thy banner, torn, but flying, streams like the thunderstorm against the wind.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
If you make a living, if you earn your own money, you’re free—however free one can be on this planet.
—Theodore H. White (1915–86) American Journalist, Historian, Novelist
No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.
—Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964) American Military Leader