Intellectual freedom is essential -- freedom to obtain and distribute information, freedom for open-minded and unfearing debate and freedom from pressure by officialdom and prejudices. Such freedom of thought is the only guarantee against an infection of people by mass myths, which, in the hands of treacherous hypocrites and demagogues, can be transformed into bloody dictatorship.

Do not trust governments more than governments trust their own people.

A country which does not respect the rights of its own citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbours

I've always thought that the most powerful weapon in the world was the bomb and that's why I gave it to my people, but I've come to the conclusion that the most powerful weapon in the world is not the bomb but it's the truth

I could not stop something I knew was wrong and terrible. I had an awful sense of powerlessness.

Profound insights arise only in debate, with a possibility of counterargument, only when there is a possibility of expressing not only correct ideas but also dubious ideas.

I regard the death penalty as a savage and immoral institution that undermines the moral and legal foundations of society.