“The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time.”
Thomas Jefferson
LibertyHuman Rights
Freedom Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · FREEDOM
Freedom Quotes
Read the best freedom quotes from Thomas Jefferson, John Stuart Mill, Swami Vivekananda, Shakespeare, the Bible and more, with timeless words on liberty and independence.
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”
George Washington
LibertyGrowth
“Liberty is the first condition of growth.”
Swami Vivekananda
GrowthSelf Development
“The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
John Stuart Mill
Personal FreedomRespect
“Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”
John Stuart Mill
Individual RightsIndependence
“To renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Human RightsDignity
“Man is created free, and is free, even though born in chains.”
Friedrich Schiller
Inner FreedomDignity
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
AwarenessTruth
“Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.”
Alexis de Tocqueville
ResponsibilityDemocracy
“Liberty is a right of doing whatever the laws permit.”
Montesquieu
LawLiberty
“Where there is no law, there is no freedom.”
John Locke
LawOrder
“The true danger is, when liberty is nibbled away, for expedients, and by parts.”
Edmund Burke
Losing FreedomVigilance
“But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils.”
Edmund Burke
WisdomVirtue
“The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.”
John Philpot Curran
VigilanceProtecting Freedom
“For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
LibertyPoetry
“Yet, Freedom! yet thy banner, torn, but flying, streams like the thunder-storm against the wind.”
Lord Byron
ResistancePoetry
“And musing there an hour alone, I dream'd that Greece might still be free.”
Lord Byron
IndependenceDreams
“Slaves cannot breathe in England; if their lungs receive our air, that moment they are free; they touch our country, and their shackles fall.”
William Cowper
AbolitionHuman Rights
“Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage.”
Richard Lovelace
Inner FreedomPoetry
“Make up your minds that happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.”
Pericles
CourageHappiness
“The excess of liberty, whether in States or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery.”
Plato
BalanceWarning
“The basis of a democratic state is liberty.”
Aristotle
DemocracyGovernment
“Freedom is participation in power.”
Cicero
DemocracyPower
“We are all slaves of the laws in order that we may be free.”
Cicero
LawOrder
“Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.”
Epictetus
Self ControlStoicism
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About Freedom Quotes
Freedom is one of humanity's oldest dreams and hardest-won prizes. People have fought for it, written about it, prayed for it and passed it on to their children. It means the right to speak, think, believe and live as we choose, and the responsibility to use that right wisely.
This collection brings together 200 of the best freedom quotes from Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John Stuart Mill, Edmund Burke, Swami Vivekananda, Lord Byron, William Shakespeare, the Stoics, the Bible and more. Some celebrate liberty, some warn us how easily it can be lost, and a few remind us that the truest freedom begins in the mind. For more on justice and rights, explore our [Equality Quotes](/topics/equality-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Freedom quotes.
What is a famous quote about freedom?
Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time," and George Washington said liberty "is a plant of rapid growth" once it takes root. Both capture the spirit of those who fought for independence.
What did Swami Vivekananda say about freedom?
Vivekananda said, "Liberty is the first condition of growth." He believed people and nations can only reach their full potential when they are free to think and act.
What does the Bible say about freedom?
Jesus said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Leviticus 25:10, "proclaim liberty throughout all the land," is the verse inscribed on America's Liberty Bell.
What did John Stuart Mill say about liberty?
In On Liberty, Mill wrote that the only freedom worthy of the name is "pursuing our own good in our own way," so long as we do not stop others from doing the same. He also said, "Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign."
Can freedom exist without rules?
Many thinkers say no. John Locke wrote, "Where there is no law, there is no freedom," and Cicero said, "We are all slaves of the laws in order that we may be free." Law protects liberty from those who would take it away.
What are good short freedom quotes for Instagram?
Try "Liberty is the first condition of growth," "Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage," "Thou shalt be as free as mountain winds," or "Freedom is participation in power."