Freedom breathes courage into ordinary days—inviting compassion, responsibility, and a wide horizon for the soul. As Jean‑Jacques Rousseau warns us: “Free people, remember this maxim: We may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.”

“The human heart yearns for peace and love and freedom. Peace heals, elevates, and invigorates the spirit.” ~ Michael DeBakey

“When you are able to allow—even when the other is not allowing—you will have absolute freedom.” ~ Esther Hicks (Abraham)

“Wealth still failed to impress him; the purpose of money was to purchase one's freedom to pursue that which was useful and interesting.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Freedom may be the soul of humanity, but often you have to struggle to prove it.” ~ Lech Walesa

“Freedom is not the right to live as we please, but the right to find how we ought to live in order to fulfill our potential.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.” ~ Bob Dylan

“Just living is not enough ... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” ~ Hans Christian Andersen

“Will is wish, and liberty is power.” ~ Voltaire

“Freedom means choosing your burden.” ~ Hephzibah Menuhin

“Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty.” ~ Samuel Adams

“Freedom to learn is the first necessity of guaranteeing that man himself shall be self-reliant enough to be free.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Independence is happiness.” ~ Susan B. Anthony

“Freedom is the oxygen of the soul.” ~ Moshe Dayan

“Your angst can and will become your liberation.” ~ Jun Po Roshi, The Heart of Zen