Freedom only comes from struggle. Liberty is about the fight. We often forget that in prosperous times. (1)
We are all people, we have rights, and without them democracy is a lie. (92)
People’s free will far exceeds the power of the wind, clouds, and rivers. (39)
My argument is that water is not political, air is not political, freedom is not political—freedom is necessary for artists. (47)
It takes a lot of difficult moments for us to understand and to realize how precious democracy or personal freedom is. (113)
Freedom is not an absolute condition, but a result of resistance. (39)
Human rights and freedom of speech have been a core theme of all my works. (114)
My works are defined by the way they all address the value of human freedom. An individual who stands on this planet, uses his mind, and takes action, can build up communication with others to make change. (114)
Freedom never comes into being all by itself. If we stop fighting for it, there will be no freedom. (62)
The West always says, “We are free,” but that is deceptive. Freedom has to assume responsibility. Freedom needs new goals and new means to achieve them. We need a new language. All this requires commitment on the part of the individual. Without that a society cannot be free. (62)
My father was a poet. He brought me up on Whitman, Neruda and Rimbaud. All that made me feel that there was another possibility, and that struggle leads to freedom. That, I think, is the revenge of life. (87)
You can never take freedom for granted. It’s not possible; it will rot. It rots immediately. (8)
I think the internet is like a modern church. In a church, you worship the divine, but people on the internet worship individualism and freedom of speech. (47)
I am eager to understand how the values that form the foundation of democracy and freedom are protected, and how they have been violated. To become involved—to take a personal journey to better understand the historical context, the current situation, and what is possible in the future—is the most natural act for an artist like me. (84)
The regime is afraid of freedom, and art is about freedom. (90)
With no freedom of speech, the world can be horrifying. (17)
If you don’t have freedom of speech, you don’t have freedom of expression, then all your creativities are shadowed. (111)
We have become accustomed to taking democracy and freedom for granted. (54)
If a place stands for democracy and for the right to free speech, and if it protects human dignity, then it can be my home. (54)
I have no anger at all. All my difficulties have given treasure to my life. They challenged me and made me look at things differently. Even the people who put me in such difficult conditions were acting as humans. (3)
People want their story to be told. They’ve been neglected for too long and their voices cannot be heard. (111)
Where is democracy? Where is personal freedom? Where is our belief that we can build a better society? It takes every individual to get involved. (61)
We can accept anything if we don’t accept defending humanity, defending freedom of speech. Then we can accept dictatorship, slavery, mafias, anything. (38)
Life does not originally take a form of freedom; only through the process of resistance does this form take shape. (39)
We all understand that, without an individual’s involvement, the words “civil liberty” are empty and freedom for any society cannot be achieved. (39)