Best opinion & speech Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“Never be silent! Make your opinions known, and do not fear retribution for speaking your mind! The only ones who will aggressively try to silence you are the ones who do not respect the liberties and rights of the individual. Those people deserve our contempt, and when you draw them out of the shadows by exercising your civil right to freedom of speech, they will expose themselves for what they truly are.”

People Trying Mind Politics Individual Silence Known Liberty Opinion Rights Exercise Speech Draws Shadow Deserve Silent Contempt Freedom Of Speech Retribution Do Not Fear

Author:Derek R. Audette

“Persecution for opinion is the master vice of society.”

Opinion Masters Speech Vices Oppression Propaganda Censorship Persecution Prohibition

Book:Course of popular lectures

Source: Course of popular lectures

“There is never any fair and thorough discussion of heretical opinions... The greatest harm done is to those who are not heretics, and whose whole mental development is cramped and their reason cowed, by the fear of heresy.”

Reason Done Whole Opinion Development Speech Fairs Harm Oppression Discussion Heresy Thorough Heretic Free Thought

Book:On Liberty

Source: On Liberty

“The intolerant man will not rely on persuasion, or on the worth of the idea. He would deny to others the very freedom of opinion or of dissent which he so stridently demands for himself. He cannot trust democracy.”

Men Ideas Opinion Democracy Demand Speech Deny Rely Persuasion Dissent

Book:The Pursuit of Justice

Source: The Pursuit of Justice

“It is not easy to describe the present position of legal opinion on advertising and free speech. Only a poet can capture the essence of chaos.”

Easy Opinion Position Poet Speech Essence Chaos Advertising Capture Free Speech

Author:Bill Vaughan

“In a free country every man thinks he has a concern in all public matters,--that he has a right to form and a right to deliver an opinion on them. This it is that fills countries with men of ability in all stations.”

Thinking Men Country Matter Reason Form Freedom Ability Opinion Speech Concern Every Man Stations Free Country

Author:Edmund Burke

“Let us always remember that he does not really believe his own opinion, who dares not give free scope to his opponent.”

Giving Believe Doe Remember Opinion Speech Dare Opponents Scope

Book:Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

Source: Speeches, Lectures, and Letters

“The beginning of philosophy is the recognition of the conflict between opinions.”

Philosophy Opinion Conflict Speech Respect Tolerance Recognition Individualism

Author:Epictetus

“Opinions become dangerous to a state only when persecution makes it necessary for the people to communicate their ideas under the bond of secrecy.”

People Ideas States Opinion Dangerous Speech Communicate Persecution Secrecy

Book:The speeches of the right honourable Charles James Fox, in the House of Commons

Source: The speeches of the right honourable Charles James Fox, in the House of Commons

“Active liberty is particularly at risk when law restricts speech directly related to the shaping of public opinion, for example, speech that takes place in areas related to politics and policy-making by elected officials. That special risk justifies especially strong pro-speech judicial presumptions. It also justifies careful review whenever the speech in question seeks to shape public opinion, particularly if that opinion in turn will affect the political process and the kind of society in which we live.”

“The loss of candor is grievous, and in my opinion it may yet prove to be mortal, because if we cannot discuss our problems in plain speech that describes reality, it is unlikely that we will be able to solve them.”

Ifs May Problem Reality Truth Able Loss Opinion Prove Speech Solve Mortals Unlikely Candor

Author:Alexander Haig

“Slavery tolerates no freedom of the press, no freedom of speech, no freedom of opinion.”

Opinion Speech Slavery Presses Tolerate Freedom Of Speech Freedom Of The Press Limiting Freedom Of Expression Independent Judiciary

Book:The impending crisis of the South: how to meet it

Source: The impending crisis of the South: how to meet it

“What the tender and poetic youth dreams to-day, and conjures up with inarticulate speech, is to-morrow the vociferated result of public opinion, and the day after is the character of nations.”

Character Dream Nations Results Opinion Youth Speech Poetic Public Opinion Morrow Inarticulate

Author:Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Why should freedom of speech and freedom of press be allowed? Why should a government which is doing what it believes to be right allow itself to be criticized? It would not allow opposition by lethal weapons. Ideas are much more fatal things than guns. Why should any man be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious opinions calculated to embarrass the government?”

Men Should Believe Ideas Government Opinion Speech Weapons Gun Presses Opposition Freedom Of Speech Printing Freedom Of The Press Pernicious Printing Press Lethal Weapon

Author:Vladimir Lenin

“My first wish is to be simple in my actions, truthful in my speech, honest in my opinions, and natural in my behavior. In other words, I want to be clean in mind, heart, and body.”

Want Mind Firsts Heart Body Action Wish Natural Simple Opinion Honest Speech Behavior Clean Truthful Mind Heart

Author:Ameen Rihani

“A well-functioning democracy has a culture of free speech, not simply legal protection of free speech. It encourages independence of mind. It imparts a willingness to challenge prevailing opinion through both words and deeds. Equally important, it encourages a certain set of attitudes in listeners, one that gives a respectful hearing to those who do not embrace the conventional wisdom. In a culture of free speech, the attitude of listeners is no less important than that of speakers.”

“Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, founded in injustice and wrong, are sure to tremble, if men are allowed to reason... Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

Source: Frederick Douglass: 100 Quotes on Bondage, Perseverance, and Redemption

“We say that if America has entered the war to make the world safe for democracy, she must first make democracy safe in America. How else is the world to take America seriously, when democracy at home is daily being outraged, free speech suppressed, peaceable assemblies broken up by overbearing and brutal gangsters in uniform; when free press is curtailed and every independent opinion gagged? Verily, poor as we are in democracy, how can we give of it to the world?”

Ifs World Giving Firsts War Home America Poor Opinion Democracy Broken Safe Speech Independent Presses Free Speech Brutal Uniforms Assembly Gangsters Outraged Broken Up Free Press Overbearing

Author:Emma Goldman

“Who ever heard a theologian preface his creed, or a politician conclude his speech with an estimate of the probable error of his opinion?”

Opinion Heard Politician Speech Errors Creeds Theologian

Author:Bertrand Russell

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