People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.

—Soren Kierkegaard

freedom thinking speech

More quotations from Soren Kierkegaard

Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.

—Soren Kierkegaard

Most men pursue pleasure with such breathless haste that they hurry past it.

—Soren Kierkegaard

attention pleasure speed haste

To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.

—Soren Kierkegaard

Self-reliance is the only road to true freedom, and being one's own person is its ultimate reward.

—Soren Kierkegaard

As my prayer became more attentive and inward, I had less and less to say. I finally became completely silent. . . . This is how it is. To pray does not mean to listen to oneself speaking. Prayer involves becoming silent, and being silent, and waiting until God is heard.

—Soren Kierkegaard

More quotations tagged with “speech”

The toughest part of being on a diet is shutting up about it.

—Gerland Nachman

humor silence speech conversation

There are good reasons why everybody should heed politicans' advice not to believe the media. One of the best is that the media report what politicians say.

—Russell Baker

politics speech media reporting politicians

Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? I would like to have a word with him.

humor speech word

The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.

privacy boredom speech conversation disclosure interest

Some people are uncomfortable with silences. Not me. I’ve never cared much for call and response. Sometimes I will think of something to say and then I ask myself: is it worth it? And it just isn’t.

—Miranda July in No One Belongs Here More Than You