--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every tyrant who ever lived has believed…" description: "\"Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for himself.\" — Elbert Hubbard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png" --- # Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for… ![“Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for himself.” quote by Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png) > “Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for himself.” [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People in power claim liberty for themselves while denying it to others, exposing hypocrisy. **In simple terms:** Tyrants claim freedom only for themselves. Key Takeaway Question the motives of those in power. Themes power hypocrisy freedom justice Mood skeptical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political discourse - activism - education - leadership Key Concepts political philosophy ethical critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize genuine versus self‑serving claims of liberty? - What responsibilities do we have to challenge such hypocrisy? A Different Perspective Freedom claimed by tyrants often masks oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Call of duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/call-of-duty/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) ## Related quotes > [Every tyrant who has lived has believed in freedom for himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-tyrant-who-has-lived-has-believed-in-freedom-for-himself/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [ They \[the Pilgrims\] believed in freedom of thought for themselves and for all other people who believed exactly as they did. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/they-the-pilgrims-believed-in-freedom-of-thought-for-themselves-and/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [As a boy, I believed freedom for America meant freedom for me. There was a time I believed every word spoken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-white/as-a-boy-i-believed-freedom-for-america-meant-freedom-for-me-there/) [Barry White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-white/) > [ \[The founding fathers\] believed that freedom of expression included religious views and beliefs, so long as the government did not force people to worship… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cornyn/the-founding-fathers-believed-that-freedom-of-expression-included/) [John Cornyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cornyn/) > [I didn't really fit with other kids. I had problems in school all my life and problems with authority. But my parents never did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/i-didn-t-really-fit-with-other-kids-i-had-problems-in-school-all-my/) [Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/) > [Between a tyrant and a prince there is this single or chief difference, that the latter obeys the law and rules the people by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-salisbury/between-a-tyrant-and-a-prince-there-is-this-single-or-chief/) [John of Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-salisbury/) > [A wicked tyrant is better than a wicked war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/a-wicked-tyrant-is-better-than-a-wicked-war/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The government is a tyrant living by theft, and therefore has no business to engage in any business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-government-is-a-tyrant-living-by-theft-and-therefore-has-no/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [Let us render the tyrant no aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/let-us-render-the-tyrant-no-aid/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [A tyrant does not remain in the world; But the curse on him abides forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-tyrant-does-not-remain-in-the-world-but-the-curse-on-him-abides/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [ \[It is a basic principle of a tyrant\] to unarm his people of weapons, money and all means whereby they resist his power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-is-a-basic-principle-of-a-tyrant-to-unarm-his-people-of-weapons/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Love reigns a very tyrant in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/love-reigns-a-very-tyrant-in-my-heart/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Elbert Hubbard > [The teacher is one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-teacher-is-one-who-makes-two-ideas-grow-where-only-one-grew-before/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-highest-reward-that-god-gives-us-for-good-work-is-the-ability-to/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Art is nothing; it's a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/art-is-nothing-it-s-a-way/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Library: A place where the dead lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/library-a-place-where-the-dead-lie/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [“If we cannot be happy and powerful and prey on others, we invent conscience and prey on ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-we-cannot-be-happy-and-powerful-and-prey-on-others-we-invent/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The poor and ignorant will continue to lie and steal as long as the rich and educated show them how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-poor-and-ignorant-will-continue-to-lie-and-steal-as-long-as-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [So long as governments set the example of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/so-long-as-governments-set-the-example-of-killing-their-enemies/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [If I supply you with a thought, you may remember it and you may not. But if I can make you think a thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-i-supply-you-with-a-thought-you-may-remember-it-and-you-may-not/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 A conservative is a man who is too cowardly to fight and too fat to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/1-2-3-4-5-a-conservative-is-a-man-who-is-too-cowardly-to-fight-and/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [The great man is not so great as folks think, and the dull man is not quite so stupid as he seems. The difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-great-man-is-not-so-great-as-folks-think-and-the-dull-man-is-not/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Every knock is a boost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-knock-is-a-boost/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [What boy well raised can compare with your street gamin who has the knowledge and the shrewdness of a grown-up broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/what-boy-well-raised-can-compare-with-your-street-gamin-who-has-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Don't make excuses, make good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/don-t-make-excuses-make-good/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [What people need and what they want may be very different… Teachers are those who educate the people to appreciate the things they need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/what-people-need-and-what-they-want-may-be-very-different-teachers/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Men who sit back and pride themselves on their culture haven't any to speak of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/men-who-sit-back-and-pride-themselves-on-their-culture-haven-t-any-to/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) [Explore all 506 Elbert Hubbard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [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/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elbert Hubbard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed-in-freedom-for-himself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed-in-freedom-for-himself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/elbert-hubbard-510_belief_every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed_2296618.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every tyrant who ever lived has believed in freedom — for himself.” — Elbert Hubbard", "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": "Elbert Hubbard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every tyrant who ever lived has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed-in-freedom-for-himself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/every-tyrant-who-ever-lived-has-believed-in-freedom-for-himself/#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 } } ] } ```