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.

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.

I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them

I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don't always agree with them

A fellow can't keep people from having a bad opinion of him, but he can keep them from being right read more

A fellow can't keep people from having a bad opinion of him, but he can keep them from being right about it.

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.

I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're read more

I think most of the people involved in any art always secretly wonder whether they are really there because they're good or there because they're lucky.

One often contradicts an opinion when what is uncongenial is really the tone in which it was conveyed.

One often contradicts an opinion when what is uncongenial is really the tone in which it was conveyed.

A yawn may not be polite, but at least it is an honest opinion

A yawn may not be polite, but at least it is an honest opinion