Social Freedom Quotes

Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.

I chose America as my home because I value freedom and democracy, civil liberties and an open society.

I don't see how the study of language and literature can be separated from the question of free speech, which we all know is fundamental to our society.

John von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don't have to be responsible for the world that you're in. So I have developed a very powerful sense of social irresponsibility as a result of von Neumann's advice. It's made me a very happy man ever since. But it was von Neumann who put the seed in that grew into my active irresponsibility!

True loyalty between individuals is possible only in a loose and relatively free society.

There are only two ways of telling the complete truth - anonymously and posthumously.

Society' in America means all the honest, kindly-mannered, pleasant- voiced women, and all the good, brave, unassuming men, between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Each of these has a free pass in every city and village, 'good for this generation only,' and it depends on each to make use of this pass or not as it may happen to suit his or her fancy.

The good society is marked by a high degree of order, justice, and freedom. Among these, order has primacy: for justice cannot be enforced until a tolerable civil social order is attained, nor can freedom be anything better than violence until order gives us laws.

To criticize a person for their race is manifestly irrational and ridiculous, but to criticize their religion, that is a right. That is a freedom. The freedom to criticize ideas, any ideas - even if they are sincerely held beliefs - is one of the fundamental freedoms of society. A law which attempts to say you can criticize and ridicule ideas as long as they are not religious ideas is a very peculiar law indeed.

Liberty is a blessing so inestimable, that, wherever there appears any probability of recovering it, a nation may willingly run many hazards, and ought not even to repine at the greatest effusion of blood or dissipation of treasure.

However widespread the desire to be free, that is wholly different from a desire to live in a society where others are free.

The people currently in charge have forgotten the first principle of an open society, namely that we may be wrong and that there has to be free discussion. That it's possible to be opposed to the policies without being unpatriotic.

For me, literacy means freedom. For the individual and for society.

I like to go out and have fun with my friends. I have family, too, so why can't I go out to clubs? I can, and I will.

From the time I was a kid, I'd never joined groups. I hated high school groups. I hung out with hippies, musical people. I hung out with whomever I found compelling and interesting and smart. And I continued to do that throughout my life.

Freedom of movement is the very essence of our free society -- once the right to travel is curtailed, all other rights suffer.

The truth is that men are tired of liberty.

But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. That and nothing else.

Politics is the language through which a free society expresses itself

Whereas the property-owning middle class could win freedom for themselves on the basis of rights to property--thus excluding others from the freedom they gain--the property-less working class possess nothing but their title as human beings. Thus they can liberate themselves only by liberating all humanity.

Liberty without equality is a name of noble sound and squalid result.

We are only so free that others may be free as well as we.

If society fits you comfortably enough, you call it freedom.

I have a lot of friends, and it's not necessary that if I go out for lunch or dinner with someone, they have to be my girlfriend; or that I'm committed to them.

We live in a democracy. We have this extraordinary opportunity to use our mind and say what we think, speak as we think. Sometimes what we say is objectionable to other people. But that is part of a free society.