“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”
Mahatma Gandhi
FreedomMistakes
Independence Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · INDEPENDENCE
Independence Quotes
Read the best independence quotes on freedom, self-reliance and nationhood from Gandhi, Nehru, Bose, Bhagat Singh, Ambedkar, Emerson, Mill and more.
“Independence must begin at the bottom.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Self RuleVillages
“Every village has to be self-sustained and capable of managing its affairs.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Self RelianceVillages
“I want world sympathy in this battle of Right against Might.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Dandi MarchJustice
“Freedom and power bring responsibility.”
Jawaharlal Nehru
ResponsibilityFreedom
“Every Indian should now forget that he is a Rajput, a Sikh or a Jat. He must remember that he is an Indian.”
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
UnityIndia
“We shall dance, we shall sing, for we have attained blissful freedom!”
Subramania Bharati
CelebrationFreedom Struggle
“The desire for sacrifice is now in our hearts; let us see how much strength is in the arm of the enemy.”
Bismil Azimabadi (made famous by Ram Prasad Bismil)
SacrificeCourage
“Remember that the greatest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong.”
Subhas Chandra Bose
JusticeCourage
“One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives.”
Subhas Chandra Bose
IdeasLegacy
“Revolution is an inalienable right of mankind. Freedom is an imperishable birthright of all.”
Bhagat Singh
FreedomRights
“Jai Hind! (Victory to India!)”
Coined by Abid Hasan Safrani, popularised by Subhas Chandra Bose
PatriotismShort Quotes
“Let our own rule come; let the Queen's rule end.”
Birsa Munda
Tribal RightsFreedom Struggle
“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved.”
B. R. Ambedkar
WomenProgress
“Be educated, be organised and be agitated.”
B. R. Ambedkar
EducationSocial Justice
“We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech and earnestness in action.”
Sarojini Naidu
CourageAction
“Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act.”
Annie Besant
ActionCommitment
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.”
Jawaharlal Nehru
CultureGrowth
“We believe in peace and peaceful development, not only for ourselves but for people all over the world.”
Lal Bahadur Shastri
PeaceDevelopment
“He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation.”
John Stuart Mill
IndividualityIndependent Thinking
“Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity.”
Immanuel Kant
Thinking For YourselfPhilosophy
“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
George Bernard Shaw
ResponsibilityFreedom
“The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.”
Henrik Ibsen
StrengthIndependence
“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”
Virginia Woolf
WomenFinancial Independence
“I'd rather be a free spinster and paddle my own canoe.”
Louisa May Alcott
WomenSelf Reliance
Related Topics
About Independence Quotes
Independence means different things to different people. For a nation, it is the hard-won right to govern itself. For a person, it means standing on your own feet, thinking for yourself and taking responsibility for your own life. Both kinds of independence take courage, sacrifice and a deep belief that freedom is worth the effort.
This collection brings together 200 of the best independence quotes from India's freedom fighters, including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh and B. R. Ambedkar, along with thinkers like John Stuart Mill and Henrik Ibsen and freedom movements around the world. For more on liberty, explore our [Freedom Quotes](/topics/freedom-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Independence quotes.
What is a famous quote about independence?
Gandhi said, "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes." Bhagat Singh called freedom "an imperishable birthright of all."
What are good quotes for Indian Independence Day?
Popular choices include "Jai Hind!", Sardar Patel's call to "remember that he is an Indian," and Subramania Bharati's joyful "We shall dance, we shall sing, for we have attained blissful freedom!"
What did Gandhi say about independence?
Gandhi believed real independence starts locally. He said, "Independence must begin at the bottom," and that every village should be self-sustained.
What are good quotes about personal independence?
Henrik Ibsen wrote, "The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone," and Marcus Aurelius said a person "should be upright, not be kept upright."
What did Ambedkar say about independence and progress?
Dr Ambedkar measured a community's progress "by the degree of progress which women have achieved," and urged people to be educated, organised and agitated.
What are good short independence quotes?
Try "Jai Hind!", "Freedom or death," "Self-help is the best help," or "Freedom and power bring responsibility."