--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-expression is always a right, but…" description: "\"Self-expression is always a right, but its still not there to be abused.\" — Isaac Hayes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png" --- # Self-expression is always a right, but its still not there… ![“Self-expression is always a right, but its still not there to be abused.” quote by Isaac Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png) > “Self-expression is always a right, but its 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. He asserts that self-expression is a right, but it should not be misused. **In simple terms:** Freedom to express oneself is important, yet it must be responsible. Key Takeaway Exercise expressive rights responsibly. Themes freedom responsibility expression rights ethics Mood thoughtful cautionary Type ethical artistic social When to use this quote - creative work - public statements - online content Key Concepts civil liberties artistic integrity social norms Questions to Reflect On - When does self-expression become harmful? - Who decides the limits of acceptable expression? A Different Perspective Rights can be abused if not guided by ethical standards. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [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 it's still not there to be abused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it-s-still-not-there-to-be/) [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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 Expression quotes > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [“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/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [In science, the most exciting expression isn’t ‘Eureka!’ It’s ‘Huh?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawley/in-science-the-most-exciting-expression-isn-t-eureka-it-s-huh/) Michael Hawley > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 5,024 Expression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self-expression is always a right, but its 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-its-still-not-there-to-be-abused/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-its-still-not-there-to-be-abused/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/isaac-hayes-18719_expression_self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-it_2307758.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Self-expression is always a right, but its 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-its-still-not-there-to-be-abused/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hayes/self-expression-is-always-a-right-but-its-still-not-there-to-be-abused/#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 } } ] } ```