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Two things form the bedrock of any open society—freedom of expression and rule of law. If you don't have those things, you don't have a free country.

— Salman Rushdie

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Freedom

More quotes by Salman Rushdie

The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999)

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.

Imaginary Homelands p. 391 (1992)

I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.

Salman Rushdie — Talking with David Frost (1993)

Those who oppose the novel most vociferously today are of the opinion that intermingling with a different culture will inevitably weaken and ruin their own. I am of the opposite opinion.

Imaginary Homelands (1992)

To choose unbelief is to choose mind over dogma, to trust in our humanity instead of all these dangerous divinities.

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You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Because any decision-making that is based upon lies or ignorance can't lead to a good conclusion.

Julian Assange

What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence?

Abraham Lincoln

Science and religion are two human enterprises sharing many features.

Freeman Dyson Infinite in All Directions (1988)

There is no governor anywhere; you are all absolutely free. There is no restraint that cannot be escaped.

Robert Anton Wilson

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Salman Rushdie (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.