Freedom is not empowerment. Empowerment is what the Serbs have in Bosnia. Anybody can grab a gun and be empowered.
— P. J. O'Rourke
Adam Smith pointed out that there were three things that make us more prosperous, in a general sort of way: freedom to pursue our own self-interest; specialization, which he called division of labor; and freedom of trade.
But cutting the working week would free the individual, giving millions of workers more time to spend as they see fit. Human freedom should be the core aim of modern socialism. The right to work less would be an act of liberation - and a cause the left should embrace.
— Owen Jones
I like freedom. I wake up in the morning and say, 'I don't know, should I have a popsicle or a donut?' You know, who knows?
— Oscar Nunez
Like a precious family heirloom, freedom is not just ours to enjoy, but to treasure, protect, and pass on to future generations.
— Os Guinness
Press and Internet freedom correlate against economic and social success, GDP, innovation, number of patents filed, and educational attainment. The more freedom there is, the more information, the more choice, and ultimately, more power for each individual.
— Ory Okolloh
If you would make the most of yourself, cut away all of your vitality sappers; get rid of everything which hampers you and holds you back, everything which wastes your energy, cuts down your working capital. Get freedom at any cost.
— Orison Swett Marden
Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.
— Oprah Winfrey
When you're working in service to a big project, there's always the question of, 'Is there total freedom to do what I think is right artistically, or is this a job?' It's okay for things to be a job. I'm perfectly comfortable working. I don't need to sit around and quench whatever personal artistic thirst I have at all times.
— Oneohtrix Point Never
India has always stood with Africa on the freedom struggle against colonial powers.
— Omar al-Bashir
I always like to preserve my freedom. I've never really been attached to any place; that's probably why I kept moving. I like to evolve.
— Olivier Theyskens
The fight for freedom must go on until it is won; until our country is free and happy and peaceful as part of the community of man, we cannot rest.
— Oliver Tambo
I absolutely fell in love with being on the water and the peace and freedom that you get being on the water in a single boat.
— Oksana Masters
For a man of my generation, our century has been a long intellectual and political struggle in favor of freedom.
— Octavio Paz
Freedom is poetry, taking liberties with words, breaking the rules of normal speech, violating common sense. Freedom is violence.
— Norman O. Brown
Rock n' roll to me is all about freedom of thought and to be whatever you want to be.
— Noel Gallagher
In this possibly terminal phase of human existence, democracy and freedom are more than just ideals to be valued - they may be essential to survival.
— Noam Chomsky
As a nation, Kuwait has been, arguably, free of freedom itself. Claimed in turn by Constantinople, Riyadh, and Baghdad, Kuwait has survived by playing Turks off Persians, Arabs off one another, and the English off everyone.
But a rejection of freedom of movement within Europe's own boundaries does not strengthen the case for accepting more migrants and refugees from outside: the reverse, in fact.
A huge portion of our lives involves the surrender of our freedom and personal autonomy. It is time in which we are directed by the needs and whims of others, and denied the right to make our own choices.
I have lived under totalitarian Communism, so I prize freedom as much as anyone and have long fought for freedom of conscience and speech.
Beyond any question, the way the American founders consistently linked faith and freedom, republicanism and religion, was not only deliberate and thoughtful, it was also surprising and anything but routine.
Jesus Christ was a patriot! His country was the world. His laws were the eternal principles of liberty, and his followers, in every age, have been the chosen champions of freedom!
— Orson F. Whitney
I am known for a life spent in the struggle for freedom, and freedom includes the freedom of religion.
— Oriana Fallaci
I love the idea that you develop a relationship over time that yields new projects and more creative freedom and trust.
I am in favor of complete freedom of information and of free access to the new communication tools, in particular the Internet.
— Omar Bongo
I represent what I think is a traditional Republican... a limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong national defense, individual freedom and liberty.
— Olympia Snowe
When I was 28, I made this film called 'Drinking Buddies' that I starred in and produced, and we improvised the entire thing, and it was a complete exercise in freedom of expression in making something for only the purpose of making it, not for recognition or money or anything else, and it's still my favorite thing I've ever done.
— Olivia Wilde
A people cannot long retain their freedom, whose government is incapable of protecting them.
— Oliver Ellsworth
My work always presents problems in our society. Those problems may be anything from injustice to freedom, and everything related to humanity.
— Okky Madasari
If you think about it, the people of Cuba and North Korea will never meet because, well, they have restricted freedom of movement.
— Nuseir Yassin
I'm very lucky to have been given a lot of freedom in my career, but it's also fun to play in other people's playgrounds!
— Noelle Stevenson
In many respects, the United States is a great country. Freedom of speech is protected more than in any other country. It is also a very free society.
If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.
Freedom is for fun.
Freedom of movement in Europe has been all but abandoned as a cause in British politics. Brexit was far more about freedom of movement than our exact trading relationship with the EU, and the electorate rejected it.
Freedom of the press is not questioned when investigative journalism unearths scandals, But that does not mean that every classified state document should be made available to journalists.
— Otto Schily
The rewards of freedom are always sweet, but its demands are stern, for at its heart is the paradox that the greatest enemy of freedom is freedom.
Negative freedom is freedom from - freedom from oppression, whether it's a colonial power or addiction to alcohol oppressing you. You need to be freed from negative freedom. Positive freedom is freedom for, freedom to be. And that's what's routinely ignored today.
Wanting to be a rock star, I get it. I'm like, 'Oh, my God, dude! The freedom!'
— Orlando Bloom
The increased presence of Muslims in Italy and in Europe is directly proportional to our loss of freedom.
Oneohtrix Point Never is total freedom to do what I think is right.
Mahatma Gandhi went from Africa to India, and once India won its freedom, it helped African countries to get their independence.
For us democracy is a question of human dignity. And human dignity is political freedom.
— Olof Palme
If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought, not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
I think the deepest level of our freedom is being able to change our identity.
— Olga Tokarczuk
Women become the objects of rules; they are repressed and lose their rights in the name of religion, or they lose their freedom in the name of tradition, while the state legitimates this foolishness with laws.
To us Americans much has been given; of us much is required. With all our faults and mistakes, it is our strength in support of the freedom our forefathers loved which has saved mankind from subjection to totalitarian power.
— Norman Thomas
These fledgling democracies in the Middle East, they're actually fighting for their freedom. And what are they rioting for in England? Leisurewear.
In the literal sense, there has been no relevant evolution since the trek from Africa. But there has been substantial progress towards higher standards of rights, justice and freedom - along with all too many illustrations of how remote is the goal of a decent society.