Freedom Quotes

"We are constrained by nature but not determined by it."

"A just society protects the fundamental liberties of all its citizens equally."

"A liberal society respects the diversity of conceptions of the good life."

"Rational autonomy and full autonomy are distinct notions in political philosophy."

"The principle of equal basic liberties has absolute priority over other principles of justice."

"The capacity to form, revise, and rationally pursue a conception of the good is essential to personhood."

"People have a right to withdraw from unjust social arrangements if basic justice is denied."

"The worth of liberty lies in what people can actually do with their freedoms."

"The basic liberties protect the conditions necessary for developing and exercising moral capacities."

"The principle of subsidiarity respects the autonomy of non-political groups within a just basic structure."

"The idea of free and equal persons is foundational to liberal political theory."

"The lexical priority of basic liberties ensures that fundamental freedoms cannot be traded for economic gain."

"The separation of church and state protects both religious freedom and political stability."

"The state is not the only legitimate force in society; individuals possess fundamental rights to their own lives and property."

"Liberty upsets patterns; therefore it menaces all patterned principles of justice."

"Self-ownership means individuals are not the property of the state or any collective."

"Voluntary exchange and free association are the foundation of legitimate social order."

"People may engage in any activity they choose, provided they do not harm others."

"Holding a just distribution requires preventing individuals from engaging in mutually beneficial exchanges."

"Natural rights are not granted by government but possessed inherently by all people."

"A society that respects rights will be dynamic and unpatterned in its distributions."

"Each person's right to their own person and talents is fundamental and inviolable."

"People's choices about their own lives should not be constrained by patterns others prefer."

"Patterned theories of justice are incompatible with liberty."

"Individual rights constrain what communities may do, regardless of the collective benefit."

"Each person's life is uniquely theirs; no one else has ultimate authority over it."

"Voluntary transactions need no further justification beyond mutual consent."

"Holding patterned distributions requires continuous interference in people's freedom."

"People have the right to refuse to serve causes they do not endorse."

"Freedom and justice are compatible only when rights are recognized as supreme."