Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
American philosophy prioritizes individual choice over government control regarding beliefs and tastes.
In plain terms
The US believes individuals, not the government, decide what to think.
What can you take from it?
Individual choice is the core of American liberty.

Where it applies

  • constitutional interpretation
  • cultural debate
  • policy

Putting it to work

  • defend individual rights
  • limit state control

Questions to consider

  • What defines American liberty?
  • Does the government have a role in beliefs?

Another view

Communal values sometimes outweigh individualism in society.

More from William O. Douglas

  1. Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why priva…

    Permalink to quote #27
  2. Christianity has sufficient inner strength to survive and flourish on its own. It does not need state subsidies, nor state privileges, nor state prestige. The …

    Permalink to quote #29
  3. As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is …

    Permalink to quote #26

Related quotes

  1. Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave. That is why I believe that this frightfulness we see everywhere today is only temporary. …

    Walt DisneyWalt Disney quote #1
  2. There is one tradition in America I am proud to inherit. It is our first freedom and the truest expression of our Americanism: the ability to dissent without f…

    Natalie MerchantNatalie Merchant quote #1
  3. I love the freedoms we got in this country, i appreciate your freedom to burn your flag if you want to, but i really appreciate my right to bear arms so i can …

    Johnny CashJohnny Cash quote #3