Quotes from figures who have shaped our country

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” — Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

“The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis.” – Justice Thurgood Marshall   “Liberty is for all men and women as a matter of equal and unalienable right. The establishment of justice and peace abroad will in large measure depend upon the peace and justice we create here in our own country, where we still show the way.”  – President Gerald Ford, America’s Bicentennial Celebration, July 4, 1976 

“Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin, Silence Dogood, No. 8, July 9, 1722

“Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist.”  – Frederick Douglass, A Plea for Free Speech in Boston, December 3, 1860 

“It is the citizens of our nation who must preserve our system of government, and we cannot forget that.” – Sandra Day O’Connor, Earl F. Nelson Lecture at the University of Missouri School of Law, 2009 

“The magic of America is that we’re a free and open society with a mixed population. Part of our security is our freedom.” – Madeleine Albright, 64th U.S. Secretary of State

“Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.” – President George W. Bush, Sept. 11, 2001

“Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Volume I, Part II, Chapter 5, 1835

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” – President Harry S. Truman, Special Message to the Congress: The President’s First Economic Report, Jan. 8, 1947

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” – Martin Luther King Jr, 1963, March on Washington

“The essence of America – that which really unites us – is not ethnicity or nationality or religion – it is an idea – and what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.”  – Dr. Condoleezza Rice, address at the Republican National Convention, Aug. 29, 2012

“America has seen tough times before. We’ve always known how to get through them. And we’ve always believed our best days are ahead of us. I believe that still. But we must rise to the occasion, as we always have; change what must be changed, and make the future better than the past.” – Senator John McCain, June 3, 2008

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.” – Reinhold Niebuhr, Democracy, Secularism and Christianity, 1953

“If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.” – U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan

“The rights of the individual should be the primary object of all governments.” – Mary Otis Warren, Observations on the New Constitution, 1788

“The Spirit that prevails among Men of all degrees, all ages, and sexes is the Spirit of Liberty.” – Abigail Adams, A letter from Abigail Adams to Edward Dilly on May 22, 1775

“Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man may present his views without penalty, there must be a spirit of tolerance in the entire population.” – Albert Einstein, On Freedom, 1950

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” – U.S. Bill of Rights, Amendment One, ratified on Dec. 15, 1791

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr., Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, 1958

“America has been the New World in all tongues, to all peoples, not because this continent was a newfound land, but because all those who came here believed they could create upon this continent a new life – a life that should be new in freedom.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Third Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1941

“No right was deemed by the fathers of the Government more sacred than the right of speech. It was in their eyes, as in the eyes of all thoughtful men, the great moral renovator of society and government.” – Frederick Douglass, A Plea for Free Speech in Boston, Dec. 3, 1860

“There was one of two things I had a right to: liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would take the other, for no man should take me alive. I should fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted.” – Harriet Tubman, Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah Hopkins Bradford, 1869

“Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.” – Rep. John Lewis, Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America, 2017

“The women we honor today know what makes America strong: healthy people and happy families; safe children and free enterprise a good education and strong reading skills; caring neighbors and willing volunteers.” – First Lady Laura Bush, Remarks at Woman’s Day Awards Luncheon, October 30, 2001

“There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.” – Susan B. Anthony, On Woman’s Right to Vote, 1873

“The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene pool. It must be taught and learned anew by each generation of citizens.” – former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools, 2011

“Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin, The Pennsylvania Gazette, “On Freedom of Speech and the Press,” 1737

“The right to criticize: the right to hold unpopular beliefs; the right to protest; the right of independent thought. The exercise of these rights should not cost one single American citizen his reputation or his right to a livelihood… Otherwise none of us could call our souls our own.” – Margaret Chase Smith, “Declaration of Conscience,” speech in the U.S. Senate, 1950

“No right was deemed by the fathers of the Government more sacred than the right of speech. It was in their eyes, as in the eyes of all thoughtful men, the great moral renovator of society and government.” – Frederick Douglass, “A Lecture on the Civil Rights Bill,” 1866

“Freedom is hammered out on the anvil of discussion, dissent, and debate.” – former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Speech at Syracuse University, 1965

“We live in an age in which the fundamental principles to which we subscribe – liberty, equality and justice for all – are encountering extraordinary challenges … But it is also an age in which we can join hands with others who hold to those principles and face similar challenges.” – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Remarks at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting, 2003

“But it is important to remember that final success in that struggle for independence, as in the many struggles that have followed, was due to the strength and support of ordinary men and women who were motivated by three powerful impulses – personal freedom, self-government, and national unity.” – President Gerald Ford, Remarks on the Observance of the Bicentennial of the United States, 1976

“The rights of the individual should be the primary object of all governments.” – Mercy Otis Warren, historian and political writer, History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution, 1805

“If we focus our energies on sharing ideas, finding solutions and using what is right with America to remedy what is wrong with it, we can make a difference. Our nation needs bridges, and bridges are built by those who look to the future and dedicate themselves to helping others.” – Sandra Day O’Connor, Commencement speech at Stanford University, 2004

“Every man…is, of common right, and by the laws of God, a freeman, and entitled to the free enjoyment of liberty.” – Benjamin Franklin, On the Subject of the Elective Franchise, 1768

“The American Dream means giving it your all, trying your hardest, accomplishing something. And then I’d add to that, giving something back. No definition of a successful life can do anything but include serving others.” – President George H.W. Bush, “Patriarch of a Political Dynasty,” The Academy of Achievement interview, 1995

“We are bound by ideals that teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these ideals. Every citizen must uphold them. … I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.” – President George W. Bush, first Inaugural Address, 2001

“Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism – the right to criticize, the right to hold unpopular beliefs, the right to protest, the right of independent thought.” – Senator Margaret Chase Smith, “Declaration of Conscience,” U.S. Senate, 1950