122 Press Freedom Quotes

Following is our list of press freedom quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about freedom of the press.

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Famous Press Freedom Quotes

The freedom of the press should be inviolate. — John Quincy Adams

A free press stands as one of the great interpreters between the government and the people. To allow it to be fettered is to fetter ourselves. — George Sutherland

Absolute freedom of the press to discuss public questions is a foundation stone of American liberty. — Herbert Hoover

The freedom of the press is one of the great bulwarks of liberty, and can never be restrained but by despotic governments. — George Mason

The only security of all is in a free press. — Thomas Jefferson

A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, most certainly without freedom, the press will never be anything but bad. — Albert Camus

The people shall not be deprived or abridged of their right to speak, or to publish their sentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the great bulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable. — James Madison

The freedom of the press works in such a way that there is not much freedom from it. — Grace Kelly

Freedom of conscience, of education, of speech, of assembly are among the very fundamentals of democracy and all of them would be nullified should freedom of the press ever be successfully challenged. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Without freedom of the press, there can be no representative government. — Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticize and oppose — George Orwell

Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe. — Thomas Jefferson

There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press — Mark Twain

Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one. — A. J. Liebling

Freedom of the press is perhaps the freedom that has suffered the most from the gradual degradation of the idea of liberty. — Albert Camus

Short Press Freedom Quotes

  • Freedom of the press is not just important to democracy, it is democracy. — Walter Cronkite
  • Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost. — Thomas Jefferson
  • To silence criticism is to silence freedom. — Sidney Hook
  • There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech — Idi Amin
  • The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism. — Wole Soyinka

Press Freedom Image Quotes

Press freedom quote Fools take the knife and stab people in the back. The wise take a knife, cut the cord and free thems
Fools take the knife and stab people in the back. The wise take a knife, cut the cord and free themselves from the fools.

Powerful Freedom Of Press Quotes

Woe to that nation whose literature is disturbed by the intervention of power. Because that is not just a violation against "freedom of print," it is the closing down of the heart of the nation, a slashing to pieces of its memory. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

All power is inherent in the people. — Thomas Jefferson

Press freedom does not mean that the press should be above the law. While it's vital that a free press can tell truth to power, it is equally important that those in power can tell truth to the press. — David Cameron

Press freedom quote Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.
Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.

Since Castro took power, the Cuban people have been denied basic human freedoms. No freedom of religion, no freedom of the press, no political freedom. And the regime uses brutality and violence to suppress these freedoms and impose its will. — Mitt Romney

Freedom of speech and of the press are essential to the enlightenment of a free people and in restraining those who wield power. — Felix Frankfurter

All the wrong people have the power of suggestion and the freedom of the press is meaningless if nobody asks a question. — Ani Difranco

Press freedom quote Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.
Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free.

Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order." - John V. Lindsay "No government power can be abused long. Mankind will not bear it. — Samuel Johnson

Freedom Of The Press Quotes

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. — Benjamin Franklin

Without general elections, without freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, without the free battle of opinions, life in every public institution withers away, becomes a caricature of itself, and bureaucracy rises as the only deciding factor. — Rosa Luxemburg

The press was to serve the governed, not the governors. — Hugo Black

Press freedom quote One of the greatest mental freedoms is truly not caring what anyone else thinks of you.
One of the greatest mental freedoms is truly not caring what anyone else thinks of you.

The Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press, or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms. — Samuel Adams

Freedom of the press is not questioned when investigative journalism unearths scandals, But that does not mean that every classified state document should be made available to journalists. — Otto Schily

Freedom of the press is essential to the preservation of a democracy; but there is a difference between freedom and license. Editorialists who tell downright lies in order to advance their own agendas do more to discredit the press than all the censors in the world. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Press freedom quote A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.
A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.

Freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of person under protection of habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected, these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us, and guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation. — Thomas Jefferson

Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to annihilating the Jewish state. It runs a theocratic totalitarian state in Gaza, with no individual liberty, and no freedom of speech or press. — Dennis Prager

Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order. — John Lindsay

I get a little nauseated, perhaps, when I hear the phrase 'freedom of the press' used as freely as it is, knowing that a large part of our proprietorial press is not free at all. — Harold Wilson

Freedom Of Expression Quotes

A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself -- to laugh with me, but never at me; to cry with me, but never because of me; to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart — Leo Buscaglia

Free expression is the base of human rights, the root of human nature and the mother of truth. To kill free speech is to insult human rights, to stifle human nature and to suppress truth. — Liu Xiaobo

We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want. The fourth is freedom from fear. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Press freedom quote I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.
I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. — Noam Chomsky

Contrary to popular misconception, Islam does not mean peace but rather means submission to the commands of Allah alone. Therefore, Muslims do not believe in the concept of freedom of expression, as their speech and actions are determined by divine revelation and not based on people's desires. — Anjem Choudary

If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence. — Louis D. Brandeis

Press freedom quote Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.

Young players need freedom of expression to develop as creative players... they should be encouraged to try skills without fear of failure. — Arsene Wenger

I certainly was one of the instigators in the 1960s of freedom of expression. - Sally Kirkland

I certainly was one of the instigators in the 1960s of freedom of expression. — Sally Kirkland

A person who doesn't breathe deeply reduces the life of his body. If he doesn't move freely, he restricts the life of his body. If he doesn't feel fully, he narrows the life of his body. And if his self-expression is constricted, he limits the life of his body. — Alexander Lowen

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. — Salman Rushdie

Freedom Of Speech Quotes

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use. — Soren Kierkegaard

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. — Martin Luther King, Jr.

We want deeper sincerity of motive, a greater courage in speech and earnestness in action. — Sarojini Naidu

Press freedom quote WIth freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy.
WIth freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy.

Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear. — St. Catherine of Siena

I had a right to my own political opinions. I am a Southern woman, born with Revolutionary blood in my veins. Freedom of speech and of thought were my birthright, guaranteed, signed and sealed by the blood of our fathers. — Rose O'Neal Greenhow

Silence is golden but when it threatens your freedom it's yellow. — Edmund Burke

Press freedom quote Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong.

I have always been among those who believed that the greatest freedom of speech was the greatest safety, because if a man is a fool, the best thing to do is to encourage him to advertise the fact by speaking. — Woodrow Wilson

When even one American - who has done nothing wrong - is forced by fear to shut his mind and close his mouth - then all Americans are in peril. — Harry S. Truman

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal. — Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Freedom of speech is a two way street, man. You have the right to say whatever you want and the Boss has a right to tell the police to arrest you. — Lenny Bruce

Freedom Of Speech And Expression Quotes

If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable. — William J. Brennan

There's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth. — J. K. Rowling

Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity, and the mother of truth. — Liu Xiaobo

Press freedom quote Forgiveness is just another name for freedom.
Forgiveness is just another name for freedom.

It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. — Abe Fortas

Whether it's people walking off 'The View' when Bill O'Reilly makes a statement about radical Islam or Juan Williams being fired for expressing his opinion, over-reaching political correctness is chipping away at the fundamental American freedoms of speech and expression. — Eric Cantor

A bunch of bong-smoking, America-bashing, flag-burning, yoga-posing, incense-burning, dolphin-saving, salmon-eating hypocrites. These are the sensitive, liberal people who are always yelling about people's freedom of speech and expression, unless you happen to say something that pisses them off. — Richard Jeni

Press freedom quote I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want.
I don't have to be what you want me to be. I'm free to be what I want.

In order for the State in the person of school officials to justify prohibition of a particular expression of opinion, it must be able to show that its action was caused by something more than a mere desire to avoid the discomfort and unpleasantness that always accompany an unpopular viewpoint. — Abe Fortas

I'm a big advocate of freedom: freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of thought. — Jimmy Wales

Freedom of expression is actually a way for people to know themselves better, and to understand themselves better. Because without it, you become a stranger to yourself. — Lucien Bourjeily

There is a time and a place for creativity. — William Redington Hewlett

Free Speech Quotes

Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage. — Winston Churchill

We live in a country that talks about being the home of the brave and the land of the free, and we have the highest incarceration rate in the world. — Bryan Stevenson

I believe America went wrong in terms of respecting the First Amendment, the state of free speech on American college campuses and on the media and in academia. — Milo Yiannopoulos

Americans' right to free speech should not be proportionate to their bank accounts. — Bernie Sanders

Goebbels was in favor of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin. If you’re really in favor of free speech, then you’re in favor of freedom of speech for precisely the views you despise. Otherwise, you’re not in favor of free speech. — Noam Chomsky

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

It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears. - Louis D. Brandeis

It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears. — Louis D. Brandeis

Elon Musk acquiring Twitter is a big win for free speech. — Lex Fridman

Free speech is not just a right, but a necessary component of a healthy society. — Bret Weinstein

All I care about is free speech and free expression; I want people to be able to be, do, and say anything. — Milo Yiannopoulos

People Writing About Press Freedom

Name Quotes Likes
Read quotes by Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson
quotes on government, constitution and education

1788 19141
Read quotes by Albert Camus

Albert Camus
quotes on love, life and absurdity

975 9693
Read quotes by John Quincy Adams

John Quincy Adams
quotes on democracy, education and aging

153 2664
Read quotes by George Sutherland

George Sutherland

9 68
Read quotes by Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover
quotes on great depression, engineering

222 1650
Read quotes by George Mason

George Mason
quotes on constitution, government and guns

72 545

More Press Freedom Quotes

The Government's power to censor the press was abolished so that the press would remain forever free to censure the Government. The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. — Hugo Black

The Press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people. — Hugo Black

The First Amendment's language leaves no room for inference that abridgments of speech and press can be made just because they are slight. That Amendment provides, in simple words, that "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." I read "no law . . . abridging" to mean no law abridging. — Hugo Black

Civilization is not about more capital accumulation per se; rather, it is about what capital accumulation allows humans to achieve, the flourishing and freedom to seek higher meaning in life when their base needs are met and most pressing dangers averted. — Saifedean Ammous

If I lived in China or even Russia, or any totalitarian country, Maybe I could understand some of these illegal injunctions. ... But somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of the press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for right. — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Our republic and its press will rise and fall together. — Joseph Pulitzer

Whenever there is injustice, there is tension. But in China it is very hard to release your anger unless you burn yourself or you jump from a bridge. In a society where there is no freedom of the press, it is difficult for victims to be noticed. — Ai Weiwei

Freedom of the press, freedom of association, the inviolability of domicile, and all the rest of the rights of man are respected so long as no one tries to use them against the privileged class. On the day they are launched against the privileged they are overthrown. — Peter Kropotkin

As unbalanced parties of every description can never tolerate a free inquiry of any kind, when employed against themselves, the license, and even the most temperate freedom of the press, soon excite resentment and revenge. — John Adams

But now, I, August Comte, have discovered the truth. Therefore, there is no longer any need for freedom of thought or freedom of the press. I want to rule and to organize the whole country. — Auguste Comte

We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy our economy. — Chris Hedges

The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy. One's right to life, liberty and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly may not be submitted to vote; they depend on no elections. — Robert H. Jackson

When the nazis came to power, I looked to the universities that prided themselves upon their intellectual freedom, and they failed me. I looked to the German press, which prided itself on the freedom of the press, and it failed me. Until at last the churches stood alone, and that for which I once had little regard earned my respect. — Albert Einstein

Without either the first or second amendment, we would have no liberty; the first allows us to find out what's happening, the second allows us to do something about it! The second will be taken away first, followed by the first and then the rest of our freedoms. — Unknown Author

I am... for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents. — Thomas Jefferson

There is an attempt to tarnish Turkey by using press freedom when it is in fact measures taken against terrorism, i dispute this. Nowhere in Europe or in other countries is there a media that is as free as the press in Turkey. — Recep Tayyip Erdogan

The price of freedom of religion or of speech or of the press is that we must put up with, and even pay for, a good deal of rubbish. — Robert H. Jackson

By a declaration of rights, I mean one which shall stipulate freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce against monopolies, trial by juries in all cases, no suspensions of the habeas corpus, no standing armies. These are fetters against doing evil which no honest government should decline. — Thomas Jefferson

Wherever despotism abounds, the sources of public information are the first to be brought under its control. Where ever the cause of liberty is making its way, one of its highest accomplishments is the guarantee of the freedom of the press. — Calvin Coolidge

Freedom of the press is the mortar that binds together the bricks of democracy -- and it is also the open window embedded in those bricks. — Shashi Tharoor

Freedom of press is limited to those who own one. — H. L. Mencken

Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. — A. J. Liebling

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