We forget that, although freedom of speech constitutes an important victory in the battle against old restraints, modern man is in a position where much of what "he" thinks and says are the things that everybody else thinks and says; that he has not acquired the ability to think originally - that is, for himself - which alone gives meaning to his claim that nobody can interfere with the expression of his thoughts.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the paradox of freedom of speech, suggesting that many people fail to think independently and instead echo the thoughts of others.
Erich Fromm's quote delves into the complexity of freedom of speech in contemporary society, where individuals often believe they are expressing unique thoughts while merely conforming to the majority's beliefs. He emphasizes that true originality is essential for meaningful expression, implying that without independent thought, the claim of having the freedom to express oneself becomes superficial.
In practice
In a discussion about the importance of independent thought in modern society.
Love, experienced thus, is a constant challenge; it is not a resting place, but a moving, growing, working together; even whether there is harmony or conflict; joy or sadness, is secondary to the fundamental fact that two people experience themselves from the essence of their existence, that they are only one with each other by being one with themselves, rather than by fleeing from themselves.
Both dreams and myths are important communications from ourselves to ourselves. If we do not understand the language in which they are written, we miss a great deal of what we know and tell ourselves in those hours when we are not busy manipulating the outside world.
Infantile love follows the principle: "I love because I am loved." Mature love follows the principle: "I am loved because I love." Immature love says: "I love you because I need you." Mature love says: "I need you because I love you.
To have faith requires courage, the ability to take a risk, the readiness even to accept pain and disappointment. Whoever insists on safety and security as primary conditions of life cannot have faith; whoever shuts himself off in a system of defense, where distance and possession are his means of security, makes himself a prisoner. To be loved, and to love, need courage, the courage to judge certain values as of ultimate concern – and to take the jump and to stake everything on these values.
In times of change, learners inherit the earth
In the nineteenth century the problem was that God is dead. In the twentieth century the problem is that man is dead.
You say 'I' and you are proud of this word. But greater than this- although you will not believe in it - is your body and its great intelligence, which does not say 'I' but performs 'I'.
The humanity that is given to other people isn't given to us. There is an expendability that comes along with being African American.
What scares me is what scares you. We're all afraid of the same things. That's why horror is such a powerful genre. All you have to do is ask yourself what frightens you and you'll know what frightens me.
The tendency to claim God as an ally for our partisan value and ends is the source of all religious fanaticism.
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on the other side
There are two ways to conquer and enslave a country. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.