--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-expression is always a right, but…" description: "\"Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not there to be abused.\" — Isaac Hayes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png" --- # Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not… ![“Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not there to be abused.” quote by Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png) > “Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not there to be abused.” [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑expression is a right but should not be abused. **In simple terms:** Expression is a right, not a license. Key Takeaway Use expression responsibly. Themes art rights responsibility Mood thoughtful balanced Type ethical cultural When to use this quote - music creation - public speaking - social media Key Concepts creative freedom ethical limits Questions to Reflect On - When does expression become harmful? - How can we protect both rights and community? A Different Perspective Defining “abuse” is subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-expression/) ## Related quotes > [Self-expression is always a right, but its still not there to be abused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-its-still-not-there-to-be-abused/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [Why will parents use that expression? What right have you to have a favorite child?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-fern/why-will-parents-use-that-expression-what-right-have-you-to-have-a/) [Fanny Fern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-fern/) > [Did you know it's possible to have the right passion, but have the wrong expression of the right passion?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/did-you-know-it-s-possible-to-have-the-right-passion-but-have-the/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [Our task is to educate the human being in such a way that he or she can bring to expression in the right way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-steiner/our-task-is-to-educate-the-human-being-in-such-a-way-that-he-or-she/) [Rudolf Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-steiner/) > [Expression and the right to express is vital, anyone can be artistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/expression-and-the-right-to-express-is-vital-anyone-can-be-artistic/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [When I feel something very intensely or deeply or personally, I can go to extremes of self-expression or self-analysis by writing a poem -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/when-i-feel-something-very-intensely-or-deeply-or-personally-i-can-go/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I believe that fashion is the ultimate form if self expression therefore it really depends on my mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-believe-that-fashion-is-the-ultimate-form-if-self-expression/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [Humankind is closer to experiencing paradise than ever before. We have the technology to feed every person in the world and the knowledge to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-morgan/humankind-is-closer-to-experiencing-paradise-than-ever-before-we-have/) [Marlo Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-morgan/) > [The spontaneous power of the child, his demand for self-expression, can not by any possibility be suppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-spontaneous-power-of-the-child-his-demand-for-self-expression-can/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [But so many Christians are like deaf people at a concert. They study the programme carefully, believe every statement make in it, speak respectfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/but-so-many-christians-are-like-deaf-people-at-a-concert-they-study/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [Civility means a great deal more than just being nice to one another. It is complex and encompasses learning how to connect successfully and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-m-forni/civility-means-a-great-deal-more-than-just-being-nice-to-one-another/) [P. M. Forni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-m-forni/) > [By exposing the multiplicity, the facticity, the repetition and stereotype at the heart of every aesthetic gesture, photography deconstructs the possibility of differentiating between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-e-krauss/by-exposing-the-multiplicity-the-facticity-the-repetition-and/) [Rosalind E. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-e-krauss/) > [There are probably seven persons, in all, who really like my work; and they are enough. I should write even if I were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/there-are-probably-seven-persons-in-all-who-really-like-my-work-and/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [I hold a beast, an angel, and a madman in me, and my enquiry is as to their working, and my problem is their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/i-hold-a-beast-an-angel-and-a-madman-in-me-and-my-enquiry-is-as-to/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) ## More by Isaac Hayes > [A certain administration which I won't call by name took the arts out of the schools, and that left the brothers out on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/a-certain-administration-which-i-won-t-call-by-name-took-the-arts-out/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [Guys in slavery sang praises to the Lord to deliver them from bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/guys-in-slavery-sang-praises-to-the-lord-to-deliver-them-from-bondage/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [Know the business, learn the business, own something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/know-the-business-learn-the-business-own-something/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I influence people - hopefully on the positive side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-influence-people-hopefully-on-the-positive-side/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I used to stand in front of the mic and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-used-to-stand-in-front-of-the-mic-and-cry/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I think the kids today need to hear more about morals and values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-think-the-kids-today-need-to-hear-more-about-morals-and-values/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I love soul. But I love a tune that has some meat in it. Something I could hang my hat on. Because music is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-love-soul-but-i-love-a-tune-that-has-some-meat-in-it-something-i/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/there-is-a-place-in-this-world-for-satire-but-there-is-a-time-when/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [Don't slip into the traps, and don't forget about your 'hood, the kids in the 'hood. Remember, you're disposable, so take advantage while you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/don-t-slip-into-the-traps-and-don-t-forget-about-your-hood-the-kids/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I was a pop freak. I love music. Of course, I knew soul because I grew up in it. Writing it and everything. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-was-a-pop-freak-i-love-music-of-course-i-knew-soul-because-i-grew/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/as-a-civil-rights-activist-of-the-past-40-years-i-cannot-support-a/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [I'd always loved strings. When I was in high school and saw strings playing on stage, an orchestra or a symphony, all those bows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/i-d-always-loved-strings-when-i-was-in-high-school-and-saw-strings/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [At the end of the day, we are responsible for our own lives. If anything happens to us, don't blame somebody else. Backtrack and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-are-responsible-for-our-own-lives-if/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [Then, when I had the opportunity to go to Africa and visit the villages, I heard the real, raw, true rhythms and realised the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/then-when-i-had-the-opportunity-to-go-to-africa-and-visit-the/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) > [When my agent told me he had a voice-over job I thought it was a Disney thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/when-my-agent-told-me-he-had-a-voice-over-job-i-thought-it-was-a/) [Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) [Explore all 34 Isaac Hayes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. Never give any one permission to abuse you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/stand-up-for-yourself-never-give-any-one-permission-to-abuse-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [“Words are free. It does not mean you should abuse them. Be kind with them. They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not there to be abused.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isaac Hayes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it-s-still-not-there-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it-s-still-not-there-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f12/isaac-hayes-18719_abuse_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2910211.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Self-expression is always a right, but it's still not there to be abused.” — Isaac Hayes", "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": "Isaac Hayes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hayes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Self-expression is always a right, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it-s-still-not-there-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it-s-still-not-there-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```