David Ignatius Quotes

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.

I strongly believe that we as a nation can be both secure and free.

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

Just the concept of personal freedom within a democracy, for instance, is a relatively young idea - only about 300 years old in this country.

There should be a sympathy with freedom, a desire to give it scope, founded not upon visionary ideas, but upon the long experience of many generations within the shores of this happy isle, that in freedom you lay the firmest foundations both of loyalty and order.

The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power.

The free society tolerates those within it who would use that freedom to destroy it.

There has been much said about danger to the national security. Democracy itself is a dangerous form of government and in its very danger lies its strength. The protection of individual rights by the requirement of due process of law, which has long endured in this nation of ours, is a radical and dangerous idea in most of the world today.

Men may die, but the fabric of free institutions remain unshaken.

This is one of the finest expressions of U. S. democracy at work.

You cannot control a free society by force.

Liberty And Union

If there is liberty, if there is democracy, in this country, it will stand or fall with the right of the minority to express to the full force of language its opposition in public to the policies of the government. And it will stand or fall with the courage of the minority so to express itself.

All history shows the necessity, in order to the preservation of liberty, of every subjects having a watchful eye on the conduct of Kings, Ministers, and Parliament, and of every subjects being not only secured, but encouraged in alarming his fellow subjects on occasion of every attempt upon public liberty.

Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt. Shall Liberty or Empire be Sought?

I can imagine no greater disservice to the country than to establish a system of censorship that would deny to the people of a free republic like our own their indisputable right to criticize their own public officials. While exercising the great powers of the office I hold, I would regret in a crisis like the one through which we are now passing to lose the benefit of patriotic and intelligent criticism.

A republican is someone who defends public institutions and democratic values, someone who is a defender of public life, someone who respects the principles of liberty, so in that sense we are very calm and at ease.

A free People will be showing that they are so, by their Freedom of Speech

Public liberty, with internal peace and order, has flourished almost without interruption.

I don't think we should be undermining our democracy.

So long as we govern our nation by the letter and spirit of the Bill of Rights, we can be sure that our nation will grow in strength and wisdom and freedom.

As freedom is the only safeguard of governments, so are order and moderation generally necessary to preserve freedom.

If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.

Our constitutional liberties shall not be sacrificed in our search for greater security, for that is what our enemies and all enemies of freedom and democracy hope to achieve.

Real liberty is neither found in despotism or the extremes of democracy, but in moderate governments.