Freedom Quotes

"The principle of equal basic liberties applies to all citizens regardless of their social position."

"Justice as fairness respects the independence of individuals and their right to pursue their own ends."

"We must be suspicious of the notion that we are liberating ourselves, for freedom itself can be a form of control."

"We are not as free as we believe ourselves to be; our very conception of freedom is historically shaped."

"Freedom cannot exist outside of power relations; it is always entangled with the forces that constitute it."

"Freedom is not a state to be achieved but a practice to be constantly renewed and defended against encroachment."

"Taxation of earnings from labor is on a par with forced labor."

"Individuals have rights, and there are things no person or group may do to them without violating those rights."

"Liberty upsets patterns; maintaining patterns requires continual interference with liberty."

"Voluntary exchange between rational agents respects each individual's rights and autonomy."

"Rights are constraints on actions; they set limits on what others may do to you."

"In a free society, people pursuing their own projects naturally benefit others through voluntary exchange."

"Each person has a right to determine what shall happen to things she owns."

"The state may not prohibit consensual activity simply because it judges the activity to be immoral."

"Ownership of oneself suggests the right to decide how one's talents and energies shall be used."

"Rights are not consequences of beneficial effects; they are fundamental moral facts."

"One cannot complain that there are constraints on what one may do when these constraints protect others' rights."

"Voluntary arrangements between consenting adults are inherently more just than imposed distributions."

"Market exchanges can be morally superior to government redistribution even when outcomes are unequal."

"Subjective rights-holding cannot be violated merely because consequences would be better."

"Ownership rights include the right to exclude others from what one owns."

"Respecting autonomy means allowing people to determine their own life projects."

"Forced labor violates rights just as taxation of labor does."

"The right to self-determination is more fundamental than utilitarian considerations."

"Individuals pursuing self-interest in free markets generate beneficial social outcomes."

"Voluntary cooperation between equals is superior to imposed distribution by authority."

"Each person is sovereign over their own life and talents."

"Respecting autonomy requires recognizing constraints on how we may treat others."

"Property rights rest on deeper rights to self-ownership and autonomy."

"Market prices reflect individual valuations and cannot be morally overridden."