“When one’s ideas are not challenged, one’s ability to defend them weakens.”

The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant.

Life has a certain flavor for those who have fought and risked all that the sheltered and protected can never experience.

All that makes existence valuable to any one depends on the enforcement of restraints upon the actions of other people.

The human faculties of perception, judgment, discriminative feeling, mental activity, and even moral preference, are exercised only in making a choice. He who does anything because it is the custom, makes no choice.

Every great movement must experience three stages: ridicule, discussion, adoption.

There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides.

All attempts by the State to bias the conclusions of its citizens on disputed subjects, are evil.

Pleasure and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends.

So Long as we do not harm others we should be free to think, speak, act, & live as we see fit, without molestation from individuals, law, or gov’t.

Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.

In proportion to the development of his individuality, each person becomes more valuable to himself, and is therefore capable of being more valuable to others.

A state which dwarfs its men, in order that they may be more docile instruments in its hands even for beneficial purposes–will find that with small men no great thing can really be accomplished.

Photography is a brief complicity between foresight and luck.

Language is the light of the mind.

The liberty of the individual must be thus far limited; he must not make himself a nuisance to other people.

The idea that truth always triumphs over persecution is one of those pleasant falsehoods, which most experience refutes. History is teeming with instances of truth put down by persecution. If not put down forever, it may be set back for centuries.