Whether it is of speech, thought, choice or love, freedom is certainly one of the most interesting and most discussed topics.Here you will find the most beautiful phrases about freedom uttered by personalities of the past and present, which can give you inspiration or simply make you think.
To be able to be oneself, to decide for oneself, to be accountable to no one for one's actions....
Is this freedom?
Perhaps we do, perhaps we feel free precisely when we feel that we can act and think exactly as we want....
That is until we probably invade other people's space.
Okay, and then what?
We live in a world that is contradictory and in which not all people in it live equally and enjoy the same good fortune.
When talking about freedom, there is a risk on the one hand of falling into stereotypes and on the other of appearing too serious or philosophical...
Actually I would not want to do any of that.
Simply, I was reflecting how much it is a word, freedom, that sometimes we use without thinking too much about it, that others we take for granted, that others we clamor for...
And so I thought I would like to share with you some of the most beautiful phrases that revolve around this very concept: taken from movies, spoken by famous philosophers or uttered by people who have made their lives a symbol and a struggle...
In short, below you will find a collection of what I think are the most interesting and thought-provoking quotes that might help you reflect on this sensitive topic and, why not, understand what freedom is for you.
Happy reading!
Ps. If you want to find more super interesting quotes, I suggest you go and read my articles on the best motivational phrases, on philosophical ones and on the most beautiful short sentences to find your inspiration.
What is freedom?
I think it is one of the most difficult concepts to define exactly.
Do you agree?
Wikipedia helps us with this definition:
"Freedom is defined as the condition whereby an individual can decide to think, express himself and act without constraint, resorting to the will to devise and enact an action, through a free choice of the ends and means he deems useful to achieve it."
Okay, so basically freedom means the absence of constraints.
After that, it can take on the most diverse nuances: we can talk about freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of religion... but also economic, political, social, and you name it.
Just as it can be understood from a more "psychological" and inner point of view, as a lever of your own consciousness that allows you to disengage from the judgments of others and be autonomous and spontaneous.
It can therefore also be defined as man's faculty to determine for himself, to act according to his own will and reason.
You know, I was also thinking that sometimes freedom can be scary: after all, it means making even uncomfortable decisions and being forced to take responsibility for your choices.
Many have tried to explain it in their speeches, including with all those feelings that being free provides us with: here are what words they used for that purpose.
Sentences on the definition of freedom
As I told you, the word freedom is a difficult term to define and even understand completely.
Here I share a few phrases from famous people who offer their views on the matter.
Life without freedom is like a body without the spirit. (Khalil Gibran)
My freedom ends where yours begins. (Martin Luther King)
Freedom, in general, can be defined as the absence of obstacles to the realization of desires. (Bertrand Russell)
Freedom is that good that makes you enjoy every other good. (Montesquieu)
Freedom cannot be explained. One can only breathe it in without thinking about it, like air, and like air regret it when it is gone. Unlike dogma, it claims no certainties and offers none. Its building blocks are doubts and mistakes, impulses and abuses. Its boundaries are labile, mobile. And its bane is the absence of boundaries, which takes away the subtle pleasure of transgression. (Massimo Gramellini)
The best freedom is to be yourself. (Jim Morrison)
You ask what is freedom? To be a slave to no one, to no necessity, to no accident, and to preserve fortune at hand. (Seneca)
Freedom is not doing whatever you want. Even the richest man in the world cannot do what he wants. There will always be the sun, the shade, the cold to force him to do something different. True freedom is being yourself, cultivating and showing the world what you really are. (Fabrizio Caramagna)
Sentences about freedom from the movies
I don't know about you, but I'm rather fond of movies; for me, watching a good movie serves both to entertain and distract me a bit and to take the opportunity to think and reflect.
There are not a few characters in the movies who have made the conquest of freedom their goal or about whom they have spoken on it.
Here is a selection of the most beautiful film quotes about freedom.
They can take our lives, but they will never take our freedom. (Braveheart)
It is only after losing everything that we are free to do anything. (Fight Club)
Fear makes you a prisoner; hope can make you free. (The Wings of Freedom)
It will end, Pina, it will end. And spring will come back, too. And it will be more beautiful than the others, because we will be free. (Open City Rome)
Lhe freedom and beauty are too good to pass up. (Into the Wild - Into the Wilderness)
Freedom exists beyond those fences we build for ourselves. (Instinct)
I live my life a quarter mile at a time, I don't care about anything else -- not the mortgage, not the store, not my team with all the bullshit. For those ten seconds I-I'm free. (Fast and Furious)
Freedom: don't ask for anything. To expect nothing. Not depending on anything. (The Wonderful Source)
Life and death are only temporary conditions. Freedom lasts forever. (Crazy in Alabama)
Sentences about the freedom to be yourself
How difficult is it?
Having the courage to show yourself for who you really are, without giving weight to the judgments of others and living the life we really want to live.
Diversity is frightening because it is understood as a lack, when it should be regarded as uniqueness.
On the other hand, being able to be oneself is indeed a privilege, one that is often precluded-that is why many have spoken out about the importance of such freedom.
Freedom is first and foremost the right to inequality. (Nikolai Berdjaevì)
When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege of being free. (Charles Hughes)
Every human being is unique: respecting their diversity is tantamount to defending their own and others' freedom. (Emanuela Breda)
Freedom lies not in choosing between black and white, but in shirking this prescribed choice. (Theodor Adorno)
Sentences about freedom of speech
We are talking about a very blurred boundary here: feeling free to speak freely as long as we do not hurt someone or wrong someone else.
That then, we are okay with saying how you think, even if it means that a person is hurt; but how far can we go in being sincere?
Not only that, in some parts of the world one cannot freely express one's opinion on pain of being punished for doing so.
And you, how would you feel if you had to be forced to never expose yourself?
Freedom of speech is the most beautiful thing for men. (Diogenes of Sinope)
If freedom of expression means anything, then it means the right to tell people what people would not like to hear. (George Orwell)
The purpose of free expression is not to make ideas exempt from criticism, but to expose them to it. (Gary Wills)
Freedom of expression must be exercised responsibly. (Jacques Chirac)
Freedom of speech and freedom of action are meaningless without freedom of thought. And there is no freedom of thought without doubt. (Bergen Evans)
Saying what you think certainly harms you in society: but freedom of speech is worth a thousand invitations. (Logan Pearsall Smith)
Sentences about freedom of choice
No one should condition anyone else's choices....
Do you agree?
Yet it is not so easy-sometimes we do it because we love this person and care about him or her so much that we would like them to make the best decision for themselves (from our point of view)...
And then I thought: sometimes, a choice a bad choice is still a good choice, because it serves as a lesson and experience, useful later in the future.
Here are some quotes about it:
The essential thing in life is to choose. If they take away your ability to do so, it is like taking away your freedom. (Jean-Paul Sartre)
If people had to choose between freedom and sandwiches, they would choose sandwiches. (John Boyd Orr)
Between the stimulus and the response, one has the freedom to choose. (Stephen R. Covey)
Freedom is not the absence of obligation, but rather the ability to choose and engage in what I believe is best for me. (Paulo Coelho)
Don't let anyone tell you who you are or who you should be. Love who you want to love. Believe as you want to believe. Choose freedom as a right. (Cassandra Clare)
For many, freedom is the power to choose one's bondages. (Gustave Le Bon)
Freedom is not the ability to do what we want, but the ability to make intelligent choices. (Frances Moore Lappé)
Where there is reason there is choice, where there is choice there is freedom. (Oriana Fallaci)
Freedom of choice-without someone deciding for us therefore-is one of the basic ingredients that make a human being a human being. (Sir Isaiah Berlin)
Freedom lies not in choosing between black and white, but in shirking this prescribed choice. (Theodor W. Adorno)
Sentences about freedom in love
"The heart wants what the heart wants," says a famous proverb....
History teaches us that this has been one of the most difficult freedoms to win, and even today it should never be taken for granted.
Also: isn't love basically a constraint? Something that deprives you in a sense of part of your freedom?
I leave it to you to think about the answer.
Meanwhile, here are some of the most beautiful phrases about freedom in love.
In love, perfection is proportionate to its freedom, and this to its purity. (Thomas Merton)
Love of freedom is love of others; love of power is love of self. (William Hazlitt)
Freedom is incompatible with love. A lover is always a slave. (Madame de Staël)
We would all like to have both love and freedom, but when we get the former we lose the latter. (Luciano De Crescenzo)
Love is the only limitation of freedom that gives us strength. (Louis Aragon)
No one has greater love than the one who can respect the freedom of the other. (Simone Weil)
If you love someone, let them go, because if they come back, they have always been yours. And if it doesn't come back, it never was. (Khalil Gibran)
Conclusion
"A man is free the moment he wishes to be free," said Voltaire.
I don't know if that's really the case, I don't know how much each of us is able to self-limit and set limits for ourselves that would otherwise allow us to do the life we want to do.
I just know that to feel free sometimes takes courage and determination, facing the fear of failure and judgment from others.
Then again, how could you earn all the success you deserve if you don't feel free to try, fail, retry, and follow your instincts?
But tell me, what is freedom to you?
Let me know below in the comments!