Freedom Of Speech Quotes - Page 18

• The First Amendment's language leaves no room for inference that abridgments of speech and press can be made just because they are slight. That Amendment provides, in simple words, that "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." I read "no law . . . abridging" to mean no law abridging.

  Hugo Black

  Mean, Simple, Law

  Concurring opinion, Smith v. California, 361 U.S. 147, 1959.

  68 Copy quote

  Show source

• I love free speech.

  George W. Bush

  Speech, Love Freedom

  "Texan 'fair dinkum' about Howard" by Xavier La Canna, www.theage.com.au. October 23, 2003.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• In Islam there is a line between let's say freedom and the line which is then transgressed into immorality and irresponsibility and I think as far as this writer is concerned, unfortunately, he has been irresponsible with his freedom of speech. Salman Rushdie or indeed any writer who abuses the prophet, or indeed any prophet, under Islamic law, the sentence for that is actually death. It's got to be seen as a deterrent, so that other people should not commit the same mistake again.

  Cat Stevens

  Mistake, Islamic, Thinking

  "Yussuf Islam, Formerly Cat Stevens, Expresses Support For Rushdie Death Sentence". The Christian Science Monitor, 1989.

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• In our democratic society, the library stands for hope, for learning, for progress, for literacy, for self-improvement and for civic engagement. The library is a symbol of opportunity, citizenship, equality, freedom of speech and freedom of thought, and hence, is a symbol for democracy itself.

  Vartan Gregorian

  Opportunity, Self, Library

  49 Copy quote

• Love myself I do. Not everything, but I love the good as well as the bad. I love my crazy lifestyle, and I love my hard discipline. I love my freedom of speech and the way my eyes get dark when I'm tired. I love that I have learned to trust people with my heart, even if it will get broken. I am proud of everything that I am and will become.

  Johnny Weir

  Inspirational, Trust, Broken Heart

  Johnny Weir (2011). “Welcome to My World”, p.261, Simon and Schuster

  75 Copy quote

  Show source

• While I've found many of the religious shows I've viewed over the years not to be to my liking, or in line with my own beliefs, I've never considered it my place to exert any greater type of censorship than changing the channel, or better yet - turning off the TV completely.

  Bill Hicks

  Religious, Years, Lines

  17 Copy quote

• You believe in freedom of speech for communists because what they say is true. You do not believe in freedom of speech for fascists because what they say is a lie.

  John Howard Lawson

  Lying, Believe, Communist

  "Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten". Book by Edward Dmytryk, 1996.

  8 Copy quote

  Show source

• There is nothing more wonderful than freedom of speech.

  Ilya Ehrenburg

  Freedom, Speech, Wonderful

  6 Copy quote

• I am a passionate believer in freedom of speech. I would not support anything which would impinge on aggressive robust freedom of the British press, but when things go wrong and there has been outright illegality, there should be proper accountability.

  Nick Clegg

  Support, Accountability, Passionate

  5 Copy quote

• Freedom of speech trumps political correctness. I would say our magazine would publish an anti-Semitic or Holocaust denying cartoon if it meant Jews around the world were rioting because of it and burning embassies because of a cartoon. We would want to show our readers what all the fuss was about.

  Ezra Levant

  Holocaust, Political, Cartoon

  9 Copy quote

• [Alan Berg's] memory haunts many people, even those who never heard him on the radio, because his death could be read as a message: Be cautious, be prudent, be bland, never push anybody, never say what you really think, offer yourself as a hostage to the weirdos even before they make the first move. These days, a lot of people are opposed to the newfound popularity of 'trash television,' and no doubt they are right, and the hosts of these shows are shameless controversy-mongers. But at least they are not intimidated. Of what use is freedom of speech to those who fear to offend?

  Roger Ebert

  Memories, Moving, Thinking

  7 Copy quote

• how can a democratic discourse exist in a corporate owned informational system? Who, for example, possesses freedom of speech in such a society?

  Herbert Schiller

  Example, Democratic, Discourse

  "Living In The Number One Country". Book by Herbert Schiller, 2000.

  10 Copy quote

  Show source

• I think it's very important for everyone in America to realize right now the state of our country, not just on this issue but on a lot of issues, that it is time to get active again. People have just sat back and just sort of said, oh, let somebody else do it for a long time, and we're seeing what's happening to the country, even freedom of speech. It's not going well. So I think this is a real opportunity for people to see, yes, if you do get out and you do get active, there are other people there. You just have to seek them out.

  Mary Steenburgen

  Country, Real, Women

  45 Copy quote

• Old or young, healthy as a horse or a person with a disability that hasn't kept you down, man or woman, Native American, native born, immigrant, straight or gay - whatever; the test ought to be I believe in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. I believe in religious liberty. I believe in freedom of speech. I believe in working hard and playing by the rules. I'm showing up for work tomorrow. I'm building that bridge to the 21st century. That ought to be the test.

  William J. Clinton

  Religious, Horse, Believe

  Clinton, William J. (1997). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1995”, p.1417, Best Books on

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• Freedom of speech is one of the greatest American liberties, and I hope this pardon serves as a reminder of the precious freedoms we are fighting to preserve as we continue to wage the war on terror.

  George Pataki

  War, Fighting, Atheism

  "Lenny Bruce Posthumously Pardoned" by wenn.com, December 24, 2003.

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• Freedom of Speech is Freedom of Music.

  Sun Ra

  Speech

  Sun Ra, Hartmut Geerken (2005). “The Immeasurable Equation: The Collected Poetry and Prose”, p.250, BoD – Books on Demand

  21 Copy quote

  Show source

• You can't believe how pro gay and pro freedom of speech I am. I'm way out beyond anyone on the Left.

  Penn Jillette

  Sex, Believe, Gay

  Biography/Personal Quote, www.imdb.com.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• In the years since then, those four freedoms - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear - have stood as a summary of our aspirations for the American Republic and for the world.

  Lyndon B. Johnson

  Education, Years, World

  Johnson, Lyndon B. (1970). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968-1969”, p.171, Best Books on

  4 Copy quote

  Show source

• I joined the Labour party because I believed in equality, in freedom of speech and in tolerance, compassion and understanding for people, irrespective of their background and views. In whatever I decide to do in the future I will hold to those principles.

  Geoff Hoon

  Party, Compassion, Views

  "Geoff Hoon to stand down at general election" by Andrew Sparrow, www.theguardian.com. February 11, 2010.

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• There is a time and a place for creativity.

  William Redington Hewlett

  Creativity, Preparation, Pink Panther

  7 Copy quote

• The civil liberties types who are fighting this issue have to fight it, owing to the nature of the laws, as a matter of freedom of speech and stifling of free expression and so on. But we know what's really involved, dirty books are fun. That's all there is to it. But you can't get up in a court and say that.

  Tom Lehrer

  Fun, Dirty, Book

  5 Copy quote

• The government being the peoples business, it necessarily follows that its operations should be at all times open to the public view. Publicity is therefore as essential to honest administration as freedom of speech is to representative government. Equal rights to all and special privileges to none is the maxim which should control in all departments of government.

  William Jennings Bryan

  Rights, Government, Views

  William Jennings Bryan (1914). “The Royal Art”

  29 Copy quote

  Show source

• Freedom of speech is, to all Americans, as oxygen is to the human condition. It is a right that has been irreversibly programmed into our hard drive. We are free to speak our minds. An artist's right to express him or herself as best suits their art, is the artist's prerogative and it is guaranteed.

  John C. McGinley

  Art, Oxygen, Mind

  6 Copy quote

• One cannot have a trade union or a democratic election without freedom of speech, freedom of association and assembly. Without a democratic election, whereby people choose and remove their rulers, there is no method of securing human rights against the state. No democracy without human rights, no human rights without democracy, and no trade union rights without either. That is our belief; that is our creed.

  George Meany

  Rights, People, Democracy

  23 Copy quote

• A false argument should be refuted, not named. That's the basic idea behind freedom of speech. Arguments by name-calling, rather than truth and light, can generally be presumed fraudulent.

  Ann Coulter

  Light, Names, Ideas

  9 Copy quote