The dissident does not operate in the realm of genuine power at all. He is not seeking power. He has no desire for office and does not gather votes. He does not attempt to charm the public, he offers nothing and promises nothing. He can offer, if anything, only his own skin - and he offers it solely because he has no other way of affirming the truth he stands for. His actions simply articulate his dignity as a citizen, regardless of the cost.

When a truth is not given complete freedom, freedom is not complete.

Courage means going against majority opinion in the name of the truth.

The truth is not simply what you think it is; it is also the circumstances in which it is said, and to whom, why, and how it is said.

There are times when we must sink to the bottom of our misery to understand truth, just as we must descend to the bottom of a well to see the stars in broad daylight.

Responsibility is something higher than my family, my country, my firm, my success. Responsibility to the order of Being, where, and only where, they will be properly judged.

Nothing is more powerful than individuals acting out of their own conscience.