--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a…" description: "\"The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg" --- # The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open… ![“The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg) > “The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secrecy conflicts with the principles of an open society, undermining trust and accountability. **In simple terms:** Keeping secrets harms openness. Key Takeaway Promote openness and accountability. Themes privacy freedom societal values Mood critical thoughtful Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - government disclosure - corporate governance - journalism - activism Key Concepts social contract information ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is secrecy justified? - How balance openness with privacy? A Different Perspective Complete secrecy can protect legitimate privacy or security needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Open society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-society/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) ## Related quotes > [The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society. ... There is little value in ensuring the survival of our nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society-there/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society-and-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society-and-we-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [The mind of a wise man is the safest custody of secrets; cheerfulness is the key to friendship; patience and forbearance will conceal many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-mind-of-a-wise-man-is-the-safest-custody-of-secrets-cheerfulness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ Bene vixit, bene qui latuit. (to live well is to live concealed)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bene-vixit-bene-qui-latuit-to-live-well-is-to-live-concealed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep your relationship private, without keeping your partner a secret. There's a difference between privacy and secrecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-relationship-private-without-keeping-your-partner-a-secret/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The backbone of surprise is fusing speed with secrecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-backbone-of-surprise-is-fusing-speed-with-secrecy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Secrecy is the first essential in affairs of the State.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/secrecy-is-the-first-essential-in-affairs-of-the-state/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Truth is literally that which is without secrecy, what discloses itself without a veil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-is-literally-that-which-is-without-secrecy-what-discloses/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/in-an-open-society-no-idea-can-be-above-scrutiny-just-as-no-people/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [If you want an open society, you have to put up with the chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-bowyer-bell/if-you-want-an-open-society-you-have-to-put-up-with-the-chaos/) J. Bowyer Bell > [We don't stop talking about how the world might be better just because we have no chance of making it to Prime Minister. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/we-don-t-stop-talking-about-how-the-world-might-be-better-just/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [We live in what's called an open society, which of course means they open our emails, open our phone records, and open our medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/we-live-in-what-s-called-an-open-society-which-of-course-means-they/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [We need to understand that an open society and free speech and press... really are the best weapons against al Qaeda and extremism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/we-need-to-understand-that-an-open-society-and-free-speech-and-press/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [“You know, I learned at a very early age that what kind of social system or political system prevails is very important. Not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/you-know-i-learned-at-a-very-early-age-that-what-kind-of-social/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac7/anonymous-1_freedom_the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a_1150675.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The very word Secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society.” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The very word Secrecy is repugnant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-very-word-secrecy-is-repugnant-in-a-free-and-open-society/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```