Quotes on Freedom vs Equality

The freedom vs equality debate

10 famous quotes

 Quotes on Freedom vs Equality

1. Alexis de Tocqueville –
   “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.”     Use in democracy vs socialism debates.
2. Milton Friedman –
   “A society that puts equality before liberty will get neither. A society that puts liberty before equality will get a high degree of both.”
   Useful in liberty vs equality priority arguments.
3. Karl Marx –
   “Between equal rights, force decides.”
   Reflects Marxist critique: equality cannot be real under capitalism.
4. John Stuart Mill –
   “Genuine equality between human beings can only be attained when liberty is preserved, not destroyed.”
   Balance between individual freedom and social justice.
5. John Rawls –
   “Liberty can be restricted only for the sake of liberty itself.”
   Important in Rawls’ theory of justice (liberty principle > equality principle).
6. Lord Acton –
   “The passion for equality made vain the hope for liberty.”
   Critique of egalitarian extremes undermining freedom.
7. Isaiah Berlin –
   “Equality may demand the restraint of liberty, but liberty does not necessarily entail equality.”
   Classic for negative vs positive liberty debates.
8. B.R. Ambedkar –
   “Political democracy cannot last unless there lies at the base of it social democracy… the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.”
   Very important for Indian context: liberty & equality as complementary, not conflicting.
9. Mahatma Gandhi –
   “Liberty and equality both demand that the poorest have the same opportunities as the richest.”
   Useful in ethics & Indian political thought.
10. Amartya Sen –
    “Freedom is both the primary end and the principal means of development.”
    Great to argue that freedom and equality are mutually reinforcing.