Liberty Has Sons Who Are Not All Legitimate

Liberty has sons who are not all legitimate or to be admired.

This line is taken from the speech delivered by Albert Camus at a banquet in honor of President Eduardo Santos, editor of El Tiempo, driven out of Colombia by the dictatorship in 1955.

This quote is about the inconsistency definition of liberty or freedom.

When liberty is to one’s favor or advantage, one would admire or extol how great or important it is.

But when it is a threat to them, then they would demand a clampdown or censorship on liberty.

One popular example is the freedom of speech in politics.

Liberty Has Sons Who Are Not All Legitimate

Here is one great remark about human liberty by African American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman, Frederick Douglass:

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle… If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle.

(Frederick Douglass On Slavery And The Civil War: Selections From His Writings, Edited And Introduction By Philip S. Foner, New York: Dover Publications Inc., 2014, I. Slavery, No Progress No Struggle!, P. 42) source

Anyway, you can find many more powerful quotations from Albert Camus‘ essays found in the 1960 book, “Resistance, Rebellion, and Death” below:

“And I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don’t want just any greatness for it, particularly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive.” – Albert Camus

“Et je voudrais pouvoir aimer mon pays tout en aimant la justice. Je ne veux pas pour lui de n’importe quelle grandeur, fût-ce celle du sang et du mensonge. C’est en faisant vivre la justice que je veux le faire vivre.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, First Letter, P. 5) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 16) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Œuvres Complètes D’Albert Camus, Tome V, Notices De Roger Grenier, Paris: Aux Éditions Du Club De L’Honnête Homme, 1983, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 19) source

“Our great virtues eventually become tiresome to us. We become ashamed of our intelligence, and sometimes we imagine some barbarous state where truth would be effortless.” – Albert Camus

“Nos grandes vertus finissent par nous lasser. L’intelligence nous donne honte et nous imaginons parfois quelque heureuse barbarie où la vérité serait sans effort.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death by Albert Camus, Translated By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, First Letter, July 1943, P. 7) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 18) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Albert Camus Oeuvres Complètes: Tome 2, 1944-1948, Édition Publiée Sous La Direction De Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi Et Raymond Gay-Crosier, Paris: Gallimard, 2006, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 10) source

“…the spirit is of no avail against the sword, but that the spirit together with the sword will always win out over the sword alone.” – Albert Camus

“…l’esprit ne peut rien contre l’épée, mais que l’esprit uni à l’épée est le vainqueur éternel de l’épée tirée pour elle-même.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death by Albert Camus, Translated By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, First Letter, July 1943, P. 9) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 19) source

“One really possesses only what one has paid for.” – Albert Camus

“On ne possède bien que ce qu’on a payé.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death by Albert Camus, Translated By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, First Letter, July 1943, P. 9) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 19) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Œuvres complètes d’Albert Camus, Tome V, Notices De Roger Grenier, Paris: Editions Du Club De L’Honnête Homme, 1983, Première Lettre, Juillet 1943, P. 22) source

“…man must exalt justice in order to fight against eternal injustice, create happiness in order to protest against the universe of unhappiness.” – Albert Camus

“l’homme devait affirmer la justice pour lutter contre l’injustice éternelle, créer du bonheur pour protester contre l’univers du malheur.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death by Albert Camus, Translated By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, Fourth Letter, July 1944, P. 28) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Quatrième Lettre Juillet 1944, P. 35) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Œuvres complètes d’Albert Camus, Tome V, Notices De Roger Grenier, Paris: Editions Du Club De L’Honnête Homme, 1983, Quatrième Lettre Juillet 1944, P. 37) source

“I continue to believe that this world has no ultimate meaning. But I know that something in it has a meaning and that is man, because he is the only creature to insist on having one.” – Albert Camus

“Je continue à croire que ce monde n’a pas de sens supérieur. Mais je sais que quelque chose en lui a du sens et c’est l’homme, parce qu’il est le seul être à exiger d’en avoir.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death by Albert Camus, Translated By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Letter To A German Friend, Fourth Letter, July 1944, P. 28) source

(The quote in French is found in: Lettres À Un Ami Allemand By Albert Camus, Paris: Les Éditions Gallimard, 1Re Édition, 1948, Quatrième Lettre, Juillet 1944, P. 36) source

Note: You can also read all the four letters in English from the book “Resistance, Rebellion And Death” by Albert Camus here.

Another source of the four letters in French over here.

“The Paris that is fighting tonight intends to command tomorrow. Not for power, but for justice; not for politics, but for ethics; not for the domination of France, but for her grandeur.” – Albert Camus

“Le Paris qui se bat ce soir veut commander demain. Non pour le pouvoir, mais pour la justice ; non pour la politique mais pour la morale.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A.Knopf, 1961, The Liberation Of Paris, The Blood Of Freedom, P. 36) source

(The quote in French is found in: Albert Camus Oeuvres Complètes: 1944-1948, Tome II, Édition Publiée sous La Direction De Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi Avec La Collaboration D’André Abbou, Zedjiga Abdelkrim, Marie-Thérèse Blondeau, Raymond Gay-Crosier, Eugène Kouchkine, Franck Planeille, Pierre-Louis Rey, Philippe Vanney, David H. Walker Et Maurice Weyembergh, Paris: Gallimard, 2006, P. 380) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Combat Resistance Newspaper, 24 August 1944)

“…we must utter, not words of regret, but words of hope, of the dreadful hope of men isolated with their fate.” – Albert Camus

“…ce ne sont pas des paroles de regret, mais ce sont des mots d’espoir, d’un terrible espoir d’hommes isolés avec leur destin, qu’il faut prononcer.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, The Liberation Of Paris, The Blood Of Freedom, P. 36) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Combat Resistance Newspaper, 24 August 1944) source

(Another source of the quote in French is also found here.)

“Liberty has sons who are not all legitimate or to be admired. Those who applaud it only when it justifies their privileges and shout nothing but censorship when it threatens them are not on our side.” – Albert Camus

“La liberté a des fils qui ne sont pas tous légitimes ni admirables. Ceux qui ne l’applaudissent que lorsqu’elle couvre leurs privilèges et qui n’ont que la censure à la bouche lorsqu’elle les menace ne sont pas des nôtres.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Modern Library, 1960, Defense Of Freedom, Homage To An Exile, P. 73) source

(The quote in French is found in: Albert Camus Et Les Libertaires: 1948-1960, Écrits Rassemblés Par Lou Marin, Paris: Egrégores, 2008, Hommage À Un Journaliste Exilé) source

(The quote in French is also found here.)

Note: The quote is from the speech delivered 7 December 1955 at a banquet in honor of President Eduardo Santos, editor of El Tiempo, who was driven out of Colombia by the dictatorship.

“Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better…” – Albert Camus

“La liberté n’est rien d’autre que la chance d’être meilleur…” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Homage To An Exile, P. 103) source

(The quote in French is found in: Albert Camus Oeuvres Complètes: 1949-1956, Tome III, Édition Publiée sous La Direction De Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi Avec La Collaboration D’André Abbou, Zedjiga Abdelkrim, Marie-Thérèse Blondeau, Raymond Gay-Crosier, Eugène Kouchkine, Franck Planeille, Pierre-Louis Rey, Philippe Vanney, David H. Walker Et Maurice Weyembergh, Paris: Gallimard, 2006, Hommage À Un Journaliste Exilé, P. 985) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Albert Camus Et Les Libertaires: 1948-1960, Écrits Rassemblés Par Lou Marin, Paris: Egrégores, 2008, Hommage À Un Journaliste Exilé) source

(Another source of the quote in French is found here.)

Note: The quote is from the speech delivered 7 December 1955 at a banquet in honor of President Eduardo Santos, editor of El Tiempo, who was driven out of Colombia by the dictatorship.

“Censorship and oppression prove that the word is enough to make the tyrant tremble — but only if the word is backed up by sacrifice.” – Albert Camus

“La censure et l’oppression fournissent seulement la preuve que la parole suffit à faire trembler le tyran à la seule condition qu’elle soit appuyée par le sacrifice.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, Modern Library, 1960, Defense Of Freedom, Homage To An Exile, P. 77) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Albert Camus Et Les Libertaires: 1948-1960, Écrits Rassemblés Par Lou Marin, Paris: Egrégores, 2008, Hommage À Un Journaliste Exilé) source

(Another source of the quote in French is found here.)

Note: The quote is from the speech delivered 7 December 1955 at a banquet in honor of President Eduardo Santos, editor of El Tiempo, who was driven out of Colombia by the dictatorship.

“If society justifies the death penalty by the necessity of the example, it must justify itself by making the publicity necessary.” – Albert Camus

“Si la société justifie la peine de mort par la nécessité de l’exemple, elle doit se justifier elle-même en rendant la publicité nécessaire.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New york: Modern Library, 1960, Reflections On The Guillotine, P. 142) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

(The quote in French is found in: Réflexions Sur La Guillotine, Un Texte Publié Dans L’ouvrage D’Arthur Koestler Et Albert Camus, Réflexions Sur La Peine Capitale, Paris: Calmann-Lévy, 1957, P. 17) source

(The quote in French is also found in: Albert Camus Oeuvres Complètes: 1957-1959, Tome IV, Édition Publiée sous La Direction De Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi Avec La Collaboration D’André Abbou, Zedjiga Abdelkrim, Marie-Thérèse Blondeau, Raymond Gay-Crosier, Eugène Kouchkine, Franck Planeille, Pierre-Louis Rey, Philippe Vanney, David H. Walker Et Maurice Weyembergh, Paris: Gallimard, 2006, Réflexions Sur La Guillotine, P. 136) source

“Man wants to live, but it is useless to hope that this desire will
dictate all his actions.” – Albert Camus

“L’homme désire vivre, mais il est vain d’espérer que ce désir régnera sur toutes ses actions.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1961, Reflections On The Guillotine, P. 192) source

(Another source of the quote is found here.)

“The aim of art, the aim of a life can only be to increase the sum of freedom and responsibility to be found in every man and in the world.” – Albert Camus

“Le but de l’art, le but d’une vie ne peut être que d’accroître la somme de liberté et de responsabilité qui est dans chaque homme et dans le monde.” (French)

(Resistance, Rebellion, And Death By Albert Camus, Translated From The French And With An Introduction By Justin O’ Brien, Modern Library, 1960, The Artist And His Time, The Wager Of Our Generation, P. 184) source

(The quote in French is found in: Albert Camus Oeuvres Complètes: 1957-1959, Tome IV, Édition Publiée sous La Direction De Jacqueline Lévi-Valensi Avec La Collaboration D’André Abbou, Zedjiga Abdelkrim, Marie-Thérèse Blondeau, Raymond Gay-Crosier, Eugène Kouchkine, Franck Planeille, Pierre-Louis Rey, Philippe Vanney, David H. Walker Et Maurice Weyembergh, Paris: Gallimard, 2006, L’Artiste Et Son Temps, Le Pari De Notre Génération, P. 584) source

Note: The quote is from an interview in Demain, No. 98, 24-30 October 1957