CURATED COLLECTION

The Meaning of Freedom

Freedom is more complicated than the word suggests — and more necessary than any other thing.

50 quotes found

“
Sometimes I think freedom is just another word for loneliness.

—Jenny ZhangPoet & Writer

Digital Age ERA • East Asia

“
Democracy is not the same thing as freedom.

—Achille MbembePhilosopher & Theorist

Contemporary ERA • West Africa

“
Freedom is a long road, but it is a road that leads home.

—Carlos BulosanWriter & Activist

Early Modern ERA • Southeast Asia

“
Do not be led astray by the desires of your lower self. Find freedom in spiritual devotion.

—JamiPoet & Scholar

Medieval ERA • Central Asia

“
The mind, in a state of wonder, is a mind in a state of freedom.

—Thomas PaineActivist, Philosopher & Revolutionary

Enlightenment ERA • North America

“
Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in defense of tyranny and oppression.

—Malcolm XActivist & Minister

Post-War ERA • North America

“
Freedom is the dream that haunts us, the bird we cannot catch, the song unheard.

—Pham Thi HoaiNovelist & Essayist

Late Modern ERA • Southeast Asia

“
Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis of independence, freedom, justice, and equality.

—Malcolm XActivist & Minister

Post-War ERA • North America

“
Only by means of the greatest self‑restraint is it possible for man to attain his true freedom.

—Ivan TurgenevNovelist & Playwright

Industrial Age ERA • Eastern Europe

“
The spirit of truth and the spirit of freedom—these are the pillars of society.

—Henrik IbsenPlaywright

Industrial Age ERA • Nordic

“
Freedom is a drug that once tasted cannot be forgotten.

—Doris LessingNovelist

Post-War ERA • Western Europe

“
Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.

—John F. KennedyPresident

Post-War ERA • North America

“
Freedom is not a destination but a journey.

—K. Sello DuikerNovelist

Contemporary ERA • Southern Africa

“
Freedom is the first good, and the only one.

—Marie de GournayWriter, Editor & Feminist

Renaissance ERA • Western Europe

“
The word 'happiness' does not have the same meaning for all people.

—Mariama BâNovelist & Feminist

Post-War ERA • West Africa

“
True freedom is not outer liberty, but the inner freedom of the spirit.

—Victoria OcampoWriter & Intellectual

Early Modern ERA • Latin America

“
The great enemy of freedom is the mind's indifference.

—Czesław MiłoszPoet, Novelist & Essayist

Post-War ERA • Eastern Europe

“
Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is to be gained by despising things outside our control.

—EpictetusPhilosopher

Ancient World ERA • Southern Europe

“
Freedom is the possibility of choosing for oneself, even when choosing wrongly.

—Reinaldo ArenasNovelist & Poet

Late Modern ERA • Caribbean

“
The only freedom worthy of the name is pursuing our own good, in our own way, without depriving others.

—John Stuart MillPhilosopher & Economist

Industrial Age ERA • Western Europe

Loading more...