If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's read more

If a man isn't willing to take some risk for his opinions, either his opinions are no good or he's no good

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as read more

The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with error.

One should respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, read more

One should respect public opinion in so far as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny

We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe.

We should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe.

A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but read more

A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.

The feeble tremble before opinion, the foolish defy it, the wise judge it, and the skillful direct it.

The feeble tremble before opinion, the foolish defy it, the wise judge it, and the skillful direct it.

One can give a really unbiased opinion only about things that do not interest one

One can give a really unbiased opinion only about things that do not interest one

Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth.

Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth.

Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent.

Private opinion is weak, but public opinion is almost omnipotent.