Cato the Elder Quotes

I feel like freedom of speech is one of the great things in this country and the freedom to do what you feel is right.

A free people, free to believe as we wish, free to speak our minds, free to raise our children as we see fit, will, make no mistake about it, endure.

I am not so much concerned with the right of everyone to say anything he pleases as I am about our need as a self-governing people to hear everything relevant

Political speech is indispensable to decision-making in a democracy, and this is no less true because the speech comes from a corporation. By taking the right to speak from some and giving it to others, the Government deprives the disadvantaged person or class of the right to use speech to strive to establish worth, standing, and respect for the speaker’s voice. The Government may not by these means deprive the public of the right and privilege to determine for itself what speech and speakers are worthy of consideration. The First Amendment protects speech and speaker, and the ideas that flow from each.

The foundation of our democracy is the ability to have a debate about any subject. That is why I am so committed to defending free speech.

I'm not against speaking publicly and having passion for something. One of the cardinal beauties of America is that we have the freedom to do so.

I regard freedom of expression as the primary right without which one can not have a proper functioning democracy.

A well-instructed people alone can be permanently a free people.

I'm a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought.

If you can exchange information freely, isn’t that almost a definition of democracy.

Free and open communications is the best guarantee of democracy.

In democracies the people seem to act as they please.

The University is not engaged in making ideas safe for students. It is engaged in making students safe for ideas. Thus it permits the freest expression of views before students, trusting to their good sense in passing judgment on these views. Only in this way can it best serve American democracy.

The more internal criticism and dissatisfaction publicly communicable within a society, the better and freer the society.

To me, freedom of speech and debate are necessary inputs in solving any of our nation's problems, from homelessness and economic inequality to banking, the environment, and national security. Freedom of speech is what Larry Lessig would call a 'root' issue; working on free speech is striking at a root issue.

American democracy is greater with free speech and open dialogue.

Think 'free speech,' not 'free beer.'

In the most civilized and progressive countries freedom of discussion is recognized as a fundamental principle.

The worst way to defend our freedom is to let our leaders start taking away our freedoms! It is exactly during times like these [a national crisis] that we need more freedom of speech, a strong and critical press, and a citizenry that is not afraid to stand up and say that the emperor has no clothes.

Even if I were knocked down by one gunshot it wouldn't affect our democracy and I wasn't knocked down and I have great confidence in our democracy and in Taiwan and in the people of Taiwan.

Henceforth, we shall be happy to be a free citizen in an independent country.

Liberty is the most precious gift we offer our citizens.

In America it's live by the sword of freedom of expression and be will to die by it as well.

And a democracy can't exist without free speech and the right to assemble. And that's what Americans tend to forget. And they're born into a culture where they take all of their freedoms for granted.

Free societies are societies in which the right of dissent is protected.