--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If one is going to err, one should err on…" description: "\"If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.\" — Kofi Annan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kofi-annan-799_freedom_if-one-is-going-to-err-one-should-err-on_2415949.png" --- # If one is going to err, one should err on the side of… ![“If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.” quote by Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kofi-annan-799_freedom_if-one-is-going-to-err-one-should-err-on_2415949.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kofi-annan-799_freedom_if-one-is-going-to-err-one-should-err-on_2415949.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f2/kofi-annan-799_freedom_if-one-is-going-to-err-one-should-err-on_2415949.png) > “If one is going to err, one should err on the side of liberty and freedom.” [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates choosing liberty and freedom over caution when making mistakes. **In simple terms:** Prefer liberty when erring. Key Takeaway Prioritize freedom over fear of error. Themes freedom ethics politics Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - policy making - civil rights - activism Key Concepts libertarianism risk‑taking Questions to Reflect On - When does liberty outweigh safety? - How to balance freedom with responsibility? A Different Perspective Freedom may conflict with security concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Err Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/err-liberty-6098835/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Going Err](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-err-3818982/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Liberty And Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-and-freedom/) [Liberty Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-freedom/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [I want to err on the side of constitutional liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-johnson/i-want-to-err-on-the-side-of-constitutional-liberty-and-freedom/) [Ron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-johnson/) > [Today, as never before, the issue is clearly defined-liberty and freedom of choice, or oppression and subjugation for the individual and for nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/today-as-never-before-the-issue-is-clearly-defined-liberty-and/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [Government has gotten too big, and it's infringed on our liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-szeliga/government-has-gotten-too-big-and-it-s-infringed-on-our-liberty-and/) [Kathy Szeliga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-szeliga/) > [“Anytime you give to government the responsibility and authority to provide government-made jobs, old-age financial security, “free” health care, and “free” education and indoctrination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/anytime-you-give-to-government-the-responsibility-and-authority-to/) [Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/) > [One of the biggest challenges we have, folks, is making liberty and freedom cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/one-of-the-biggest-challenges-we-have-folks-is-making-liberty-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I am running for the U.S. Senate so that your kids and mine can continue to live in the kind of country that gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-lopez-cantera/i-am-running-for-the-u-s-senate-so-that-your-kids-and-mine-can/) [Carlos Lopez-Cantera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-lopez-cantera/) > [Political figures who talk a lot about liberty and freedom invariably turn out to mean the freedom to not pay taxes and discriminate based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/political-figures-who-talk-a-lot-about-liberty-and-freedom-invariably/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [To talk about liberty and freedom is nice, lovely, but the important thing is to allow people to act in liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/to-talk-about-liberty-and-freedom-is-nice-lovely-but-the-important/) [Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/) > [A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-constitution-as-important-as-it-is-will-mean-nothing-unless-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The world has never known the freedom and liberty it did until the United States some 230 years ago - and if that light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-world-has-never-known-the-freedom-and-liberty-it-did-until-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The problem with this world is that there isn't enough liberty and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-problem-with-this-world-is-that-there-isn-t-enough-liberty-and/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [As a preacher who has spent significant time in churches and houses of worship all across the country, I can tell you firsthand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/as-a-preacher-who-has-spent-significant-time-in-churches-and-houses/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [They talk about the American Dream. I still believe in that. I still believe that this is a great country, where great things can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-halford/they-talk-about-the-american-dream-i-still-believe-in-that-i-still/) [Rob Halford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-halford/) > [I believe in liberty and freedom for all. I believe in gay marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-believe-in-liberty-and-freedom-for-all-i-believe-in-gay-marriage/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [Liberty and freedom were the primary reason that people wanted to come here. They wanted to escape bondage, slavery, tyranny, poverty, whatever, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/liberty-and-freedom-were-the-primary-reason-that-people-wanted-to/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) ## More by Kofi Annan > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [UN peacekeeping operations are now increasingly complex and multi-dimensional, going beyond monitoring a ceasefire to actually bringing failed States back to life, often after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/un-peacekeeping-operations-are-now-increasingly-complex-and-multi/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We were all children once. And we all share the desire for the well-being of our children, which has always been and will continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-were-all-children-once-and-we-all-share-the-desire-for-the-well/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [You will recall that for months after 9/11, there was incredible support and sympathy for the US. I really hoped and wished they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/you-will-recall-that-for-months-after-9-11-there-was-incredible/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [A nation has the right to defend itself, but when it comes to the broader issue of peace and security, the legitimacy rests only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/a-nation-has-the-right-to-defend-itself-but-when-it-comes-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Sometimes when you take a tough action against one side in the conflict, they see you as part of the conflict and they attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/sometimes-when-you-take-a-tough-action-against-one-side-in-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Some have suggested that ideally there must be some international body that would treat areas like the Arctic as a global commerce, a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/some-have-suggested-that-ideally-there-must-be-some-international/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [In an age of interdependence, global citizenship - based on trust and sense of shared responsibility - is a crucial pillar of progress. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/in-an-age-of-interdependence-global-citizenship-based-on-trust-and/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [We knew the Syrian situation was complex and there were lots of divisions, particularly on the side of the opposition... This is a tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/we-knew-the-syrian-situation-was-complex-and-there-were-lots-of/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The question is the morning after. What sort of Iraq do we wake up to after the bombing? What happens in the region? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-question-is-the-morning-after-what-sort-of-iraq-do-we-wake-up-to/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [I laugh a lot inside and outside, and at myself sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/i-laugh-a-lot-inside-and-outside-and-at-myself-sometimes/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Can the state, which represents the whole of society and has the duty of protecting society, fulfill that duty by lowering itself to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/can-the-state-which-represents-the-whole-of-society-and-has-the-duty/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [As long as inequality and other social problems plague us, populists will try to exploit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/as-long-as-inequality-and-other-social-problems-plague-us-populists/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Developing and newer democracies are much more susceptible to the tactics of populists and demagogues - they often do not have strong institutions, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/developing-and-newer-democracies-are-much-more-susceptible-to-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [The young and dynamic and idealistic people in the square do not have the chance to organise themselves politically, to be able to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/the-young-and-dynamic-and-idealistic-people-in-the-square-do-not-have/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) [Explore all 366 Kofi Annan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [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/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. 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