Freedom to learn is the first necessity of guaranteeing that man himself shall be self-reliant enough to be free.
There can be no constitutional democracy in any community which denies to the individual his freedom to speak and worship as he wishes. Fireside Chat in the night before signing the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938)
If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free.
The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad State of the Union Address — Second Bill of Rights (1944)
If the fires of freedom and civil liberties burn low in other lands, they must be made brighter in our own. If in other lands the press and books and literature of all kinds are censored, we must redouble our efforts here to keep them free. If in other lands the eternal truths of the past are threatened by intolerance we must provide a safe place for their perpetuation.