120 Independence Day Quotes About Freedom
Independence Day celebrations mark the anniversary of a nation’s independence from foreign control. On this day, people express their love for freedom and gratitude towards the independence movement. This article features some of the most inspiring quotes about freedom from celebrated leaders and thinkers around the world.
The article is divided into sections based on the sources of the quotes. It starts with quotes from some of the great freedom fighters and leaders who were instrumental in their countries’ independence movements. This includes quotes from personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Bhagwan Das among others who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
The second section contains thought-provoking quotes from eminent philosophers,authors and poets who expressed the deep human desire for liberty through their works. Some examples included here are from William Wordsworth, Voltaire, Patrick Henry and many more. Overall, the compilation of 120 independence day quotes in this article celebrates freedom as one of the most basic rights of humankind and honours those who fought to secure it for their nations.
1. Powerful Quotes on Liberty and Self-Determination
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“Freedom lies in being bold.” – Robert Frost
“A strong people doesn’t need strong leaders.” -Ella Baker
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” – Mohandas Gandhi
“It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.” – Ursula K. LeGuin
“Liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood.” – Mohandas Gandhi
“Liberty is the right to choose: the right to create for oneself the alternatives of choice.” – Archibald MacLeish
“America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.” – Barack Obama
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” – Alexander Hamilton
“A people free to choose will always choose peace.” -Ronald Reagan
“The Constitution gives the right of self-government to citizens of the United States in matters which can best be controlled by individuals or private associations.” – Grover Cleveland
“Freedom is always and exclusively freedom for the ones who think differently.” -Rosa Luxemburg
“We must teach our children to dream with their eyes open.” – Harry Belafonte
“Remember that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed, you should take care not to nullify the votes of millions of Americans.” – Thomas Jefferson
“It is when power is wedded to chronic fear that it becomes formidable.” – Eric Hoffer
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy
“A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” – John F. Kennedy
“The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see.” -Ayn Rand
“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” – Thomas Jefferson
2. Sayings Celebrating Freedom from Oppression
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” ―Milan Kundera
“A people that wants to be free must arm itself with a free press.” ― Douglas William Jerrold
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“There are two types of freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.” ― Charles Kingsley
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ― Benjamin Franklin
“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” ― George Washington
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ― Benjamin Franklin
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” ― George R.R. Martin
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.” ― Khalil Gibran
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead
“The truth shall set you free” – Gospel of John 8:32
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” ― Helen Keller
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.” ― L.M. Montgomery
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“Freedom lies in being bold.” ― Robert Frost
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” ― Audre Lorde
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
3. Words Honoring the Right to Self-Governance
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” – Thomas Jefferson
“A people long oppressed and long habituated to think and feel as subjects grows very impatient of control.” – Edmund Burke
“No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will” – Thomas Jefferson
“Democracy is the government that governs least” – Henry David Thoreau
“It is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from its government.” – Thomas Paine
“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” – Declaration of Independence
“No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality and virtue.” – Noah Webster
“The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” – Milan Kundera
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.” – William Pitt
“The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.” – Edmund Burke
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – Gerald Ford
“The function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or stirs people to anger.” – Robert H. Jackson
“No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain him.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy
“The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws.” – Tacitus
“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor.” – Carl Sandburg
“He who gives up freedom for security will not have, nor deserve, either one.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.” – Maximilien Robespierre
“Man cannot be free if he does not know that he is subject to necessity, because his freedom is always won in his never wholly successful attempts to liberate himself from necessity.” – Karl Jaspers
4. Short Phrases Praising Liberty from Tyranny
“There are no limits to the good we can do if we don’t care who gets the credit.” – Unknown
“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” – Benjamin Franklin
“No despotism, not the most cruel that ever existed, ever contrived an engine of absolute power so effective as freedom is.” – Lord Acton
“Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17.
“One who breaks a tyranny is more than a conqueror; liberty is sweeter than life.” – Cornelia Sorabji.
“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” – George Orwell
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” – George Washington
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“I never cease to be astonished by people who defend the products of tyranny and injustice by saying that they themselves are not personally tyrannical or unjust.” – James Madison
“Men must turn square corners when they deal with the government.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
“The life of a republic lies in the energy, virtue, and intelligence of the citizens; it is at once enervated and corrupted if this foundation is undermined or destroyed.” – Garrett Ward Sheldon
“As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air – however slight – lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.” – William O. Douglas
“Until we’re all free, we’re none of us free.” – Emma Lazarus
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” – Voltaire
“Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have.” – Harry Emerson Fosdick
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” – Ronald Reagan
“Give me liberty or give me death!” – Patrick Henry
5. Brief Statements Lauding Freedom of Expression
unique 120 Independence Day quotes about freedom of expression:
“To clamp down on dissent is a sure sign of a weak government.” – Anonymous
“Censorship ends in logical completion when nobody is allowed to read anymore.” – Christopher Hitchens
“The press should not be restricted, suppressed or impeded.” – Walter Lippmann
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“The freedom of speech is the freedom to articulate new ideas and educate and inform others.” – Anonymous
“All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions.” – George Bernard Shaw
“A good citizen…is necessarily a thoughtful one, and a thoughtful citizen must question all truths revealed.” – Attributed to Adlai E. Stevenson
“When ideas fail to get a fair hearing, society loses an opportunity to correct its course.” – William O. Douglas
“Free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word; and not just comforting platitudes too mundane to require protection.” – Anthony Lewis
“Suppression of free speech and free press is the first step on that evil path.”- Unknown
“A free press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy.” – Josh Stearns
“Where liberty dwells, there is my country.” -Benjamin Franklin
“Censorship is the height of vanity.” – Robert Heinlein
“No one ever died from reading a book.” – Francesca Reigadas
“Let your expressive soul have full freedom.” – Sarojini Naidu
“Without the freedom to offend, free speech does not exist.” – Philippe Karsenty
“Even a partial suppression of ideas is fatal to the discovery of truth.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Expression of truth is free speech. Forced expression is propaganda.” – Anonymous
“People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” – Anonymous
“The spirit of freedom breathes hope, unleashes the energy of determined people to shape their own future.” – Linda Chavez
6. Concise Remarks Upholding Autonomy of the Individual
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
“A person is either free or not free; to say that a little freedom is pleasant but too much is dangerous and unpleasant is nonsense.” – William Porcher Dubose
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” – Gerald Ford
“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort, you will not get either comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair.” – C.S. Lewis
“It’s not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error.” – Robert H. Jackson
“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” – Evelyn Beatrice Hall
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.” – George Bernard Shaw
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” – Thomas Jefferson
“The most important act of courage is still nothing but making one’s own choices.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
“A strong, positive sense of self is the best possible preparation for life.” – Jo Coudert
“To stay free, people must wake up and smell socialism. Socialism leads to dependence on government. That dependence destroys freedom.” – Andy Pudzer
“I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to make an ass of yourself.” – Oscar Wilde
“True freedom lies in wisdom, moral courage and independence of thought and deed.” – Helen Keller
“Hope, to be hoped, asks no questions.” – Emily Dickinson
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“No one is free when others are oppressed.” – Unknown
Conclusion
In closing, the quotes shared in this article highlight how cherished freedom truly is. They remind us that independence is something worth fighting for through struggles and sacrifices. As we reflect on those words, we should feel grateful for the liberties we enjoy today while also remembering freedom comes at a cost. Most importantly, we must ensure each generation understands the value of freedom so future patriots will stand up to protect it if it is ever threatened. May we honor those who came before us by safeguarding the freedom they secured and passing on their spirit of liberty.
