
The more a government strives to curtail freedom of speech, the more obstinately is it resisted; not indeed by the avaricious … but by those whom good education, sound morality, and virtue have rendered more free. Men in general are so constituted that there is nothing they will endure with so little patience as that views which they believe to be true should be counted crimes against the laws. … Under such circumstances they do not think it disgraceful, but most honorable, to hold the laws in abhorrence, and to refrain from no action against the government.
Baruch Spinoza in Tractatus Theologico-Politicus

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Related quotes

I have been one of those who have carried the fight for complete freedom of information in the United Nations. And while accepting the fact that some of our press, our radio commentators, our prominent citizens and our movies may at times be blamed legitimately for things they have said and done, still I feel that the fundamental right of freedom of thought and expression is essential. If you curtail what the other fellow says and does, you curtail what you yourself may say and do. In our country we must trust the people to hear and see both the good and the bad and to choose the good.
quote by Eleanor Roosevelt

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What Mahfooz Ali means to me! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
When I hear the name Mahfooz Ali,
I think of love, freedom, education, and his famous speech...'I can’t be common man.'
Mahfooz Ali wants peace, love and cuddle for himself and for others.
Without using violence he will set an example for himself and for all to see.
His love for people is so great,
Everyone knew him from Locales to beyond his nation.
He wants humanity
and an education to be equal for all.
His famous speech... “I can’t be common man '
Will always encourage all... to let freedom in!
poem by Mahfooz Ali

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We Are Told
We are told that we have got freedom yet not freedom to do as we like
There are places we are not allowed to walk in or where we cannot ride a push bike
Which means that our freedom is so called since we cannot even walk where we please
Ours is such a limited freedom we are not as free as a breeze.
Without a passport we cannot travel to another Country and that is for a limited time
And if we overstay our visa that is a deportable crime
By the Immigration Department of Government by a Government not blessed with a soul
There is a name for such a practice 'tis known as population control.
Young men in wars fought and died for freedom but was it for freedom they died?
When their Government leader told them they were fighting for freedom to the young and naive troops he lied
They fought for the glory of their leader and risked their lives on a foreign shore
They were used as pawns in a deadly power game just that sad to say nothing more.
We are told that we have got freedom though we have to be careful with the words we say
And if our speech on it has got restrictions then what is freedom anyway?
Young men fought and even died for freedom at least that's what we are made to believe
By so called patriotic politicians people who are known to deceive.
poem by Francis Duggan

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Treasure Island
(A) Freedom of speech
freedom of worship
freedom of wants
freedom of fear
(B) Four Freedoms
by
Franklin D. Roosevelt
the 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945)
(1) Freedom of speech
(2) freedom of worship
(3) freedom from wants
(4) freedom from fear
What is your definition of freedom in the 21st century?
All Americans value the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press, and I believe this is essential for our continued way of life. But with this freedom comes responsibility. That responsibility has been abdicated here by some in the media and some in the government.
quote by Steven Hatfill

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My desire to curtail undue freedom of speech extends only to such public areas as restaurants, airports, streets, hotel lobbies, parks, and department stores. Verbal exchanges between consenting adults in private are as of little interest to me as they probably are to them.
quote by Fran Lebowitz

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All government - indeed, every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act - is founded on compromise and barter.
Edmund Burke in Speech on the Conciliation of America

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Education A Lost Cause
Education A Lost Cause
By Lori Triggs
Copyrighted Feb.2010
Education was importion at one time,
now it is on the back burner not importation.
In the U.S.A. we ranked number one in education,
now in the U.S.A. we rank 13th in education.
Americans cannot even comprehend English language
besides math or science even sex education.
Americans talk with text or iming words thinking that the English language
when Americans today are alliterate cannot read or write even do math.
Our states even government wants to take away
12th grade from high school what's next?
11TH grade than no high school suppose to be going forward not backwards.
So we need to fix education and our government,
because education comes first and the fat cats like the senators,
and the congressman come last no more free rides plus free dinners.
We need to rank number one in education again!
poem by Lori Triggs

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Power
I resisted
He resisted
We both resisted!
Yet, the power of
Lust –
Overpowered us ;)
poem by Aparna Chatterjee

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The freedom to make a fortune on the stock exchange has been made to sound more alluring than freedom of speech.
quote by John Mortimer

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Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.
Make no laws whatever concerning speech, and speech will be free; so soon as you make a declaration on paper that speech shall be free, you will have a hundred lawyers proving that "freedom does not mean abuse, nor liberty license"; and they will define and define freedom out of existence. Let the guarantee of free speech be in every man's determination to use it, and we shall have no need of paper declarations. On the other hand, so long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.
quote by Voltairine de Cleyre

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It should be clear by now that my focus here is not freedom of speech or the press. This freedom is all too often an exaggeration. At the very least, blind references to freedom of speech or the press serve as a distraction from the critical examination of other communications policies.
quote by Mark Lloyd

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Anarchists
The leaders of this country,
Think were the ones that do wrong,
They take control of the power,
and steal this land of forgotten freedom
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
They call the ones dressed in black,
The evil ones but we fight back,
We've got hackers, we've got protesters,
we let no man left behind
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
The unions dressed in black,
With their flag raised up high,
Don't take no for an answer,
As the forces stain the streets with blood
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
We fight for the people,
Our obligation is good as gold,
And though we fight with arms of steel,
we don't let death go in vein
Its not the people afraid of the government,
Its the government afraid of the people
poem by Bing D'Amico

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Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion all have a double aspect - freedom of thought and freedom of action.
quote by Frank Murphy

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Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the 1st Amendment. It is part of the right of free speech. It embraces freedom of the press.
quote by Hugo Black

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On the Innate Drive For What is Right
As life bled, martyrdom flared its buds.
Repression, red from irritation,
Rendered chinks and cracks; but thuds of
Armament - in cowardice - accomplice of the
Dictatorial blight thro' countless years -
Wreaked its retribution:
Yet hope began to bloom a coloured carapace
Enshrining their allegiance ‘gainst the
Terror in their tears.
And on! Splits yawned - breaches in the junta:
Flesh fought fanatical minds -
Bullets welcomed into open hands
And blessed with yearnings for morality:
Chiselled man-toys of death and mutilation
Couldn't repel the might of freedom
Surging at the bright horizon.
Crepuscular rays of purpose, body,
Flooded pandemonium with
Overwhelming clarity, direction -
Burdened clouds drifting wayward as the
Light channelled out a vision,
Intensifying focus on tomorrow -
Deepen their stride
As they home in to
What is theirs,
Rightfully theirs!
Copyright © Mark R Slaughter 2011
The reign of justice and freedom
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
justice justice justice justice justice justice justice justice
freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom freedom
poem by Mark R Slaughter

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Oh! Education
In ENGLISH it is PREPOSITION
In MATH it is MULTIPLICATION
In SCIENCE it is EQUATION
In GK it is ABBREVIATION
OH! EDUCATION is full tension
In HISTORY it is CIVILIZATION
In GEOGRAPHY it is CONSTELLATION
In CIVICS it is CONSTITUTION
In ART it is CREATION
In SPEECH it is REPRESENTATION
In LITERATURE it is RATIFICATION
ALL THESE REACH A POINT OF SUFFOCATION
But to be something in LIFE
IT is essential to get GOOD EDUCATION
poem by Neelabha Mahajan

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The basis of self-government and freedom requires the development of character and self-restraint and perseverance and the long view. And these are qualities which require many years of training and education.
quote by John F. Kennedy

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Double Up On Shock
Double up on shock.
And gather as much as possible,
To keep stocked...
When a wishing for it,
Can no longer be resisted.
Profiling those suspected,
Of being nonconformists AND independent thinkers...
Is enough to carry around a signed baseball bat.
Hopefully to be sold before its actual usage.
Stained memorabilia does not produce a high price.
Not to pay at someone else's expense.
'Excuse me?
Is that blood?
OR ketchup?
With the remains of someone's nose,
Dried into the bat? '
~Oh no.
But it certainly appears that way.
If purchased today...
We can discount it for you.~
Double up on shock.
And gather as much as possible,
To keep stocked...
When a wishing for it,
Can no longer be resisted.
Who knew that all that oil gushing in the Gulf,
Was coming up from a mile down?
And the oil companies are constructing a giant finger,
Made from a combination of 'Oops! ' and 'Huh? '
To curtail ('wink') a seepage that may be seen...
Hanging around for a while.
Oh...
And that giant finger sent down to plug up the gush?
Is sure to be a hit with the kids this coming Christmas.
Is there any sense of decency? ANYWHERE?
When squirrels are seen refusing free nuts being offered...
What can be said about the level of respect given to human beings?
It has dipped!
Not fluctuating like the stock market.
But on a dip that seems permanent.
Yes!
Double up on shock.
And gather as much as possible,
To keep stocked...
When a wishing for it,
Can no longer be resisted.
And it is unmistakably right there when needed.
Ridiculous or not...
At least you can say you've got it!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

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