Both now and for always, I intend to hold fast to my belief in the hidden strength of the human spirit.
Andrei SakharovRead
Intellectual freedom is the only guarantee of a scientific - democratic approach to politics, economic development, and culture.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Intellectual freedom is essential for progress in science, politics, and culture.
This quote emphasizes the importance of intellectual freedom as a foundational aspect of a democratic society. It asserts that without the ability to think freely and express ideas, it is impossible to foster advancements in politics, economic development, and cultural practices, ultimately leading to a more effective and equitable society.
Themes
Intellectual FreedomDemocracyScienceCulturePolitics
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for academic reform, one might quote Sakharov to highlight the need for unimpeded thought.
More from Andrei Sakharov
All quotes βA country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbours
Andrei SakharovRead
I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society. I reject the notion that the death penalty has any essential deterrent effect on potential offenders. I am convinced that the contrary is true - that savagery begets only savagery.
Andrei SakharovRead
Similar quotes
Nothing so cements and holds together all the parts of a society as faith or credit, which can never be kept up unless men are under some force or necessity of honestly paying what they owe to one another.
Marcus Tullius CiceroRead
Whom can I ask what I came to make happen in this world? Why do I move without wanting to, why am I not able to sit still? Why do I go rolling without wheels, flying without wings or feathers, and why did I decide to migrate if my bones live in Chile?
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Every day I go to my study and sit at my desk and put the computer on. At that moment, I have to open the door. It's a big, heavy door. You have to go into the Other Room. Metaphorically, of course. And you have to come back to this side of the room. And you have to shut the door.
Haruki MurakamiRead
We should be slower to think that the man at his worst is the real man, and certain that the better we are ourselves the less likely is he to be at his worst in our company. Every time he talks away his own character before us he is signifying contempt for ours.
James M. BarrieRead
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about.
John SteinbeckRead
Perhaps there are other bits of my life that would take on content, take on shadow, if only I read more and thought less about money.
Martin AmisRead