Eric Cantor Quotes

Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection.

Free speech is carelessly tossed to one side in order to silence views and people that liberals label as intolerant.

The common notion that free speech prevails in the United States always makes me laugh.

I think the most un-American thing you can say is, 'You can't say that.'

You can't allow the forces of political correction to shut you up. I mean, why are people afraid to say, 'Merry Christmas?' Give me a break. If people don't like it, yeah, they can go do something else.

If it were not for the fact that editors have become so timorous in these politically correct times, I would probably have a greater readership than I have.

People have a right to criticize.

In America the majority raises formidable barriers around the liberty of opinion; within these barriers an author may write what he pleases, but woe to him if he goes beyond them.

[E]rroneous statement … must be protected if the freedoms of expression are to be given the breathing space that they need ... to survive.

The government may not prohibit expression simply because it disagrees with its message.

If there is a bedrock principle of the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

The people on the far left, they claim to be about free speech and expression. But as soon as you put something out there that offends them, all of a sudden, no - free speech out the window.

Oliver Darcy is a perpetual victim. He is constantly advocating for people to be banned and silenced. As a member of the media, Oliver Darcy should respect our First Amendment right.

I just think political correctness is a limitation on our First Amendment freedoms.

There are so many people that are offended by debate and free speech that sometimes governments cower. It's just way easier to play into the hands of people who are totalitarian.

I realized very quickly that the main thing that the left was not in favor of was free speech - that there was an intolerance about different ideas and opinions.

Speech is not violence. The Left conflates the two in order to justify its own violent reactions to differing points of view.

The only threat is a growing pushback from militant liberals who seek to destroy free expression as they look to limit the speech of anyone who has feelings they find objectionable. It makes comics tentative to push boundaries and freely talk about the thoughts in their heads. That part is terrible for development.

Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana. The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with. I don’t agree with quite a bit of stuff I read in magazine interviews or see on TV. In fact, come to think of it, I find a good bit of it offensive. But I also acknowledge that this is a free country and everyone is entitled to express their views. In fact, I remember when TV networks believed in the First Amendment. It is a messed up situation when Miley Cyrus gets a laugh, and Phil Robertson gets suspended.

The solution when you don't like someone's speech is not to silence that person, or that corporation. It's more and louder speech of your own.

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

The American people, I am convinced, really detest free speech. At the slightest alarm they are ready and eager to put it down.

However, they ignore the fact that the First Amendment is intended to protect only against government sanctions for exercising free speech rights, not private actions.

Freedom of speech includes the freedom to offend people.

In fact, it's become politically important to offend people, because we have to fight back against this notion that being offensive should be against the law or something, and that everyone supposedly deserves "respect" for their often dopy views.