--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Free speech is what we all have and is…" description: "\"Free speech is what we all have and is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Academic freedom refers to what happens in the univers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/joan-wallach-scott-26193_ability_free-speech-is-what-we-all-have-and-is-g_664162.jpg" --- # Free speech is what we all have and is guaranteed by the… ![“Free speech is what we all have and is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Academic freedom refers to what happens in the university, particularly in the classroom, and to the importance of the teacher having the right to teach and share what he or she has learned, has proven…” quote by Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/joan-wallach-scott-26193_ability_free-speech-is-what-we-all-have-and-is-g_664162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/joan-wallach-scott-26193_ability_free-speech-is-what-we-all-have-and-is-g_664162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a93/joan-wallach-scott-26193_ability_free-speech-is-what-we-all-have-and-is-g_664162.jpg) > “Free speech is what we all have and is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. Academic freedom refers to what happens in the university, particularly in the classroom, and to the importance of the teacher having the right to teach and share what he or she has learned, has proven her competence to teach, having gone through a series of tests and certifications including research and writing to demonstrate her abilities and knowledge.” [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Free speech is constitutionally protected; academic freedom ensures teachers can teach and share knowledge based on expertise and credentials. **In simple terms:** Free speech is protected; academic freedom lets teachers teach freely. Key Takeaway Support and defend academic freedom in institutions. Themes education rights institutional autonomy Mood thoughtful defensive Type policy philosophical When to use this quote - classroom discussions - curriculum design - policy debates Key Concepts constitutional law pedagogy faculty governance Questions to Reflect On - How should institutions handle controversial topics? - What safeguards protect both speech and learning? A Different Perspective Balancing free speech with respectful discourse can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Academic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic/) [Academic freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/academic-freedom/) [Classroom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classroom/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [First amendment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-amendment/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Freedom of speech is about expressing your opinion, however bad or good, however right or wrong, and being able to defend it and argue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/freedom-of-speech-is-about-expressing-your-opinion-however-bad-or/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [If the students don't want to learn about evolution, they shouldn't be in the course. A biology course that teaches creationism is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/if-the-students-don-t-want-to-learn-about-evolution-they-shouldn-t-be/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [The university is the place where the pursuit of truth is taught, the rules for learning how to pursue it are explained, and students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/the-university-is-the-place-where-the-pursuit-of-truth-is-taught-the/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [Can a geology teacher blithely tell his students that the earth is flat, or a European history professor that the Holocaust didn't happen? That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/can-a-geology-teacher-blithely-tell-his-students-that-the-earth-is/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“The corporate reform movement has co-opted progressive themes and language in the service of radical purposes. Advocating the privatization of public education is deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/the-corporate-reform-movement-has-co-opted-progressive-themes-and/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [The phrase 'academic freedom' is often used carelessly: here is a work that will allow a more careful conversation about those many crucial issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-anthony-appiah/the-phrase-academic-freedom-is-often-used-carelessly-here-is-a-work/) [Kwame Anthony Appiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-anthony-appiah/) > [I also believe that academic freedom should protect the right of a professor or student to advocate Marxism, socialism, communism, or any other minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-also-believe-that-academic-freedom-should-protect-the-right-of-a/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [The most important aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn. All education is a continuous dialogue - questions and answers that pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-most-important-aspect-of-freedom-of-speech-is-freedom-to-learn/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Academic freedom and free speech mean the right to consider ideas with which you might disagree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/academic-freedom-and-free-speech-mean-the-right-to-consider-ideas/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [It is no accident that the place that lends itself to creating conflicts between the dominant order of thought and people who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-domenech/it-is-no-accident-that-the-place-that-lends-itself-to-creating/) [Ben Domenech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-domenech/) > [By academic freedom I understand the right to search for truth and to publish and teach what one holds to be true. This right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/by-academic-freedom-i-understand-the-right-to-search-for-truth-and-to/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I don't believe in firing professors. They have academic freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-don-t-believe-in-firing-professors-they-have-academic-freedom/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [In Britain the power of authority was weakened. There was much more individual freedom and there was great academic freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/in-britain-the-power-of-authority-was-weakened-there-was-much-more/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [I think the impacts of 9/11 on academic freedom vary greatly depending on locale and time (softening with the passage of time), and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/i-think-the-impacts-of-9-11-on-academic-freedom-vary-greatly/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [Much literary criticism comes from people for whom extreme specialization is a cover for either grave cerebral inadequacy or terminal laziness, the latter being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/much-literary-criticism-comes-from-people-for-whom-extreme/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More by Joan Wallach Scott > [Freedom of speech is about expressing your opinion, however bad or good, however right or wrong, and being able to defend it and argue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/freedom-of-speech-is-about-expressing-your-opinion-however-bad-or/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [The growing gap between rich and poor, the seeming lack of concern for the health and well-being of ordinary people, the obscene salaries made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/the-growing-gap-between-rich-and-poor-the-seeming-lack-of-concern-for/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [There are students whose religious upbringing is going to make them feel uncomfortable in a class where certain kinds of secular ideas are presented.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/there-are-students-whose-religious-upbringing-is-going-to-make-them/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [I think what is being pointed out by African-Americans is that from slavery forward they have been living in a supposed democracy which treats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/i-think-what-is-being-pointed-out-by-african-americans-is-that-from/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [We've increasingly lost that sense of community, of the notion that there is something we contribute to and benefit from that is called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/we-ve-increasingly-lost-that-sense-of-community-of-the-notion-that/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [I think the anger that is being directed to universities and so-called elites at universities is actually an anger that's displaced from politicians (who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/i-think-the-anger-that-is-being-directed-to-universities-and-so/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [I think there is a disrespect for the mind that Trump, for example, exemplifies. His is a kind of strategic thinking that's more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/i-think-there-is-a-disrespect-for-the-mind-that-trump-for-example/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [The thing about education - and why I'm so passionate about the position and status of the university - is that it's supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/the-thing-about-education-and-why-i-m-so-passionate-about-the/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [Richard Hofstadter, in his famous book which was written in the time of the McCarthy period in the 1950 and 1960s, Anti-intellectualism in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/richard-hofstadter-in-his-famous-book-which-was-written-in-the-time/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [What I mean by the common good is that we understand we're all part of something bigger than ourselves, that we live in societies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/what-i-mean-by-the-common-good-is-that-we-understand-we-re-all-part/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [All of my work in some way or another speaks to political issues according to the upbringing that I had, which was deeply rooted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/all-of-my-work-in-some-way-or-another-speaks-to-political-issues/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [We've increasingly lost that sense of community, of the notion that there is something we contribute to and benefit from that is called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-wallach-scott/we-ve-increasingly-lost-that-sense-of-community-of-the-notion-that-2/) [Joan Wallach Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-wallach-scott/) > [The common good is the notion of shared collective responsibility and reciprocity. 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