--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is whatever the president says it…" description: "\"Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending revision.\" — James Bovard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png" --- # Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending… ![“Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending revision.” quote by James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png) > “Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending revision.” [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests that political authority defines freedom, but that definition is mutable and subject to change. **In simple terms:** Freedom is defined by those in power and can be altered. Key Takeaway Question who defines your freedoms. Themes politics power definition of liberty Mood skeptical thoughtful Type political philosophical When to use this quote - voting - activism - legal reform Key Concepts sovereignty revisionism civil rights Questions to Reflect On - Who decides what freedom means? - Can freedom be truly independent of authority? A Different Perspective Freedom can be constrained by authoritarian shifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) [Antiwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiwar/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-president-5020361/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Pending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pending/) [Pending Revision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pending-revision-5020362/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-says-267144/) [Revision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revision/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The president says, 'There is lots of people worse off than the Farmers.' I don't know who it could be unless it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-president-says-there-is-lots-of-people-worse-off-than-the-farmers/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [It is worth reminding that being president is a tough job for anybody, and particularly so in the information age. There's such a glut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/it-is-worth-reminding-that-being-president-is-a-tough-job-for-anybody/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Do not be intimidated. Go where the story goes. Report the facts. Make sure you've got it right. And don't let things that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-zucker/do-not-be-intimidated-go-where-the-story-goes-report-the-facts-make/) [Jeff Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-zucker/) > [“I don’t give a damn what the President says. This is the way it’s going to be.” He hung up the phone with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/i-don-t-give-a-damn-what-the-president-says-this-is-the-way-it-s/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [We don't need a president who just says, "Gentlemen, start your engines." We need a president who says, America, let's start our economy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/we-don-t-need-a-president-who-just-says-gentlemen-start-your-engines/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [The President says, "We are in the fight for a way of life. This is the greatest battle of our generation, and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/the-president-says-we-are-in-the-fight-for-a-way-of-life-this-is-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [When the president says that the biggest problem of the country is corruption, they attack the morality of the president so that he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jovenel-moise/when-the-president-says-that-the-biggest-problem-of-the-country-is/) [Jovenel Moise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jovenel-moise/) > [I don't want somebody as attorney general who thinks he has to rubberstamp whatever the president says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/i-don-t-want-somebody-as-attorney-general-who-thinks-he-has-to/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [Donald Trump is the first president in more than 40 years not to make his tax returns public. The president says only reporters care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yang/donald-trump-is-the-first-president-in-more-than-40-years-not-to-make/) [John Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yang/) > [There are a lot of things that I really question - the legality of the drone strikes, these NSA revelations. Jimmy Carter came out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/there-are-a-lot-of-things-that-i-really-question-the-legality-of-the/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) > [The United States brags about its political system, but the President says one thing during the election, something else when he takes office, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deng-xiaoping/the-united-states-brags-about-its-political-system-but-the-president/) [Deng Xiaoping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deng-xiaoping/) > [I guess the President says the majority of the people didn't elect him, he doesn't have to listen to 'em anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-jones/i-guess-the-president-says-the-majority-of-the-people-didn-t-elect/) [Star Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/star-jones/) > [In the course of a presidency, a U.S. president says millions of words in public. You never know which of them end up cementing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-rhodes/in-the-course-of-a-presidency-a-u-s-president-says-millions-of-words/) [Ben Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-rhodes/) > [“The people always meant some people and not others (the president uses the word in this way), encounters were always struggles (the president says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/the-people-always-meant-some-people-and-not-others-the-president-uses/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Perhaps most destructive of all, we haven’t ever had an occupant of the White House who so routinely calls true reports that irk him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-flake/perhaps-most-destructive-of-all-we-haven-t-ever-had-an-occupant-of-2/) [Jeff Flake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-flake/) ## More by James Bovard > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The vision that the founding fathers had of rule of law and equality before the law and no one above the law, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-vision-that-the-founding-fathers-had-of-rule-of-law-and-equality/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [People are so docile right now. It is almost as if good government means when the politicians lie to us for our own good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/people-are-so-docile-right-now-it-is-almost-as-if-good-government/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [It is important to recognize and politics positive thinking is often the slaves' virtue - something that people do to con themselves about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/it-is-important-to-recognize-and-politics-positive-thinking-is-often/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [If so many Americans are looking for the government to save them, then it is hard to have a dignified search for a shepherd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/if-so-many-americans-are-looking-for-the-government-to-save-them-then/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine-and-so-unlimited-that-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The key question for many voters is: How much is the candidate offering for my vote?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-key-question-for-many-voters-is-how-much-is-the-candidate/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The Federal Government is exploiting public fear to redefine the relationship between the rulers and the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-federal-government-is-exploiting-public-fear-to-redefine-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Once freedom is equated with a certain material standard of living, confiscation becomes the path to liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/once-freedom-is-equated-with-a-certain-material-standard-of-living/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Government aid programs have been endlessly expanded, and the government has sought to maximize the number of people willing to accept handouts… Roughly half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/government-aid-programs-have-been-endlessly-expanded-and-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [America needs fewer laws, not more prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/america-needs-fewer-laws-not-more-prisons/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more freedoms Americans lose, the more dangerous government becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-freedoms-americans-lose-the-more-dangerous-government-becomes/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [The more powerful government becomes, the more abuses it commits and the more lies it must tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/the-more-powerful-government-becomes-the-more-abuses-it-commits-and/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Not only has the number of government employees multiplied in recent decades, but the rise of government unions further stacks the political odds against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/not-only-has-the-number-of-government-employees-multiplied-in-recent/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [How many McDonald's gift certificates would it take to sway a lot of Americans to pledge to never publicly criticize the U.S, President?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/how-many-mcdonald-s-gift-certificates-would-it-take-to-sway-a-lot-of/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) [Explore all 75 James Bovard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) ## More Anti war quotes > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [In the eyes of empire builders men are not men but instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/in-the-eyes-of-empire-builders-men-are-not-men-but-instruments/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was involved in the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-was-involved-in-the-anti-war-movement/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [My first wish is to see this plague of mankind banished from the earth, and the sons and daughters of this world employed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/my-first-wish-is-to-see-this-plague-of-mankind-banished-from-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [One reason the United States finds itself at the edge of a foreign policy disaster is its underinformed citizenry, a key weakness in democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-halper/one-reason-the-united-states-finds-itself-at-the-edge-of-a-foreign/) [Stefan Halper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-halper/) > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/the-moral-and-constitutional-obligations-of-our-representatives-in/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [The way I'm going now is to focus on peace, to create peace. As Sister Corita said, "I don't go to anti-war rallies. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/the-way-i-m-going-now-is-to-focus-on-peace-to-create-peace-as-sister/) [Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/) > [Here's the thing. Just because you're pro-troops doesn't mean you're pro-war. And just because you're anti-war doesn't mean you're anti-troops. Just because you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-keith/here-s-the-thing-just-because-you-re-pro-troops-doesn-t-mean-you-re/) [Toby Keith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-keith/) > [The worst evils which mankind has ever had to endure were inflicted by bad governments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-worst-evils-which-mankind-has-ever-had-to-endure-were-inflicted/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/repetition-does-not-transform-a-lie-into-a-truth/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [You cannot be on one hand dedicated to peace and on the other dedicated to violence. Those two things are irreconcilable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/you-cannot-be-on-one-hand-dedicated-to-peace-and-on-the-other/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/free-nations-don-t-develop-weapons-of-mass-destruction/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Once conscription was introduced during the First World War, and once Britain's wars ceased being confined to the empire or to continental Europe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/once-conscription-was-introduced-during-the-first-world-war-and-once/) [Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/) [Browse all 486 Anti war quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending revision.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Bovard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-it-is-pending-revision/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anti war" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-it-is-pending-revision/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/james-bovard-9090_anti-war_freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-i_3042256.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Freedom is whatever the president says it is, pending revision.” — James Bovard", "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": "James Bovard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Freedom is whatever the president says...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-it-is-pending-revision/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/freedom-is-whatever-the-president-says-it-is-pending-revision/#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 } } ] } ```