“Why a book about freedom? Because freedom is a critical factor in our lives, because there is little agreement on what exactly constitutes freedom, and because freedom is a solid measure of individual and social progress.” –from the Introduction FREEDOM is a robust collection of more than 600 quotes and passages from speakers from all over the world–artists, activists, politicians, writers, religious leaders, and many others– provoking thoughtful reflection on our most important and precious value. Separated into over 30 sections–from Justice, Speech, and Slavery to Religion, America, and Government–this compendium covers all of the major areas of the interpretation of freedom. Included are sections from the Bill of Rights, the Magna Charta, the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and the inaugural addresses of many United States presidents. FREEDOM brings you Cicero and Sartre on basic freedom, Walt Whitman and Mahatma Gandhi on conscience, Allen Ginsberg and Albert Einstein on creativity, Anaïs Nin and Fyodor Dostoyevsky on economics, Joan Didion and Virginia Woolf on independence, Bob Marley and Che Guevara on freedom’s struggle, and Meryl Streep and Howard Zinn on free will and destiny. Comforting and challenging, familiar yet surprising, this treasury is an essential resource for anyone who cherishes liberty and justice. Nobody’s free until everybody’s free. –Fannie Lou Hamer (U.S. human rights leader, 1917-1977) Freedom is a very dangerous thing. Anything else is disastrous. –James Baldwin To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. –Nelson Mandela America is best described by one word: FREEDOM. –Dwight D. Eisenhower If we don’t believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don’t believe in it at all. –Noam Chomsky