--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: free thought could get you killed if it…" description: "\"“free thought could get you killed if it slipped out. If”\" — Masaji Ishikawa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/masaji-ishikawa-5495_free_free-thought-could-get-you-killed-if-it_3015441.jpg" --- # free thought could get you killed if it slipped out. If ![“free thought could get you killed if it slipped out. If” quote by Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/masaji-ishikawa-5495_free_free-thought-could-get-you-killed-if-it_3015441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/masaji-ishikawa-5495_free_free-thought-could-get-you-killed-if-it_3015441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a7/masaji-ishikawa-5495_free_free-thought-could-get-you-killed-if-it_3015441.jpg) > ““free thought could get you killed if it slipped out. If”” [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns that free thought can be lethal if expressed, highlighting censorship dangers. **In simple terms:** Free thought can be dangerous. Key Takeaway Guard speech wisely. Themes freedom censorship danger politics Mood cautious serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Activism - journalism - academic debate - online discourse Key Concepts political theory speech ethics Questions to Reflect On - When is silence safer than speech? - How can societies protect free thought? A Different Perspective Expression may invite risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Free thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-thought/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Killed Slipped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-slipped-4854529/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Killed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-killed-874406/) ## Related quotes > [“I soon learned that thought was not free in North Korea. A free thought could get you killed if it slipped out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-soon-learned-that-thought-was-not-free-in-north-korea-a-free-2/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“I soon learned that thought was not free in North Korea. A free thought could get you killed if it slipped out. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-soon-learned-that-thought-was-not-free-in-north-korea-a-free/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“I thought you killed that boy", he finally grumbled. "I did kill him", Rags said. "Dead as doughnuts. Buried him too, just like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lichtenberg/i-thought-you-killed-that-boy-he-finally-grumbled-i-did-kill-him-rags/) [Tom Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lichtenberg/) > [When I thought I'd killed him, I felt more alone than I've felt in a long time. Like I couldn't stand walking through this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-thought-i-d-killed-him-i-felt-more-alone-than-i-ve-felt-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But I thought you had already killed yourself. Oh, perhaps I read something wrong. Unfortunately, I've already sent some flowers to your mother." "Yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerstin-gier/but-i-thought-you-had-already-killed-yourself-oh-perhaps-i-read/) [Kerstin Gier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerstin-gier/) > [“Fumbling in the dark, Josie reached underneath the frame of her bed for the plastic bag she’d stashed-her supply of sleeping pills. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/fumbling-in-the-dark-josie-reached-underneath-the-frame-of-her-bed/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I was ready to talk about... and I'm ready to die on the hills of due process, individualism, and free thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cain/i-was-ready-to-talk-about-and-i-m-ready-to-die-on-the-hills-of-due/) [Will Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cain/) > [Our thoughts are free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/our-thoughts-are-free/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Try a little experiment. Close your eyes and say to yourself: “I wonder what my next thought is going to be.” Then become very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/try-a-little-experiment-close-your-eyes-and-say-to-yourself-i-wonder/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [You behold in me, Stephen said with grim displeasure, a horrible example of free thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/you-behold-in-me-stephen-said-with-grim-displeasure-a-horrible/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“It is clear that thought is not free if the profession of certain opinions makes it impossible to earn a living. It is clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-is-clear-that-thought-is-not-free-if-the-profession-of-certain-2/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It should seem that Negroes, of all Americans, would be found in the Free-thought fold, since they have suffered more than any other class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-harrison/it-should-seem-that-negroes-of-all-americans-would-be-found-in-the/) [Hubert Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-harrison/) > [“Freedom is not an idea; a philosophy written about freedom is not freedom. Either one is free or one is not. One is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/freedom-is-not-an-idea-a-philosophy-written-about-freedom-is-not/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I deny the right of Congress to force a slaveholding State upon an unwilling people. I deny their right to force a free State…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-douglas/i-deny-the-right-of-congress-to-force-a-slaveholding-state-upon-an/) [Stephen A. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-douglas/) > [“Bertrand Russell:   The expression “free thought” is often used as if it meant merely opposition to the prevailing orthodoxy. But this is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-m-s-pearce/bertrand-russell-the-expression-free-thought-is-often-used-as-if-it/) [Jonathan M.S. Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-m-s-pearce/) ## More by Masaji Ishikawa > [“People came to our house from far and wide. Party and military bigwigs, some guy known as the “combat commander,” the village headman, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/people-came-to-our-house-from-far-and-wide-party-and-military-bigwigs/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“This was laughable, of course, but that’s always the way with totalitarian regimes. Language gets turned on its head. Serfdom is freedom. Repression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/this-was-laughable-of-course-but-that-s-always-the-way-with/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“I was amazed we’d got through the checkpoint so easily. I couldn’t help asking about it. “Well, these soldiers, you see . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-was-amazed-we-d-got-through-the-checkpoint-so-easily-i-couldn-t/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“My family was poor, but my childhood days in Mizonokuchi were the happiest of my life. 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And however hard I worked, I would always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/but-the-reality-hit-home-late-that-night-i-had-a-wife-and-now-two/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“So we became masters at faking it. Everyone did. To do anything else could have gotten us killed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/so-we-became-masters-at-faking-it-everyone-did-to-do-anything-else/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“I still hope to rescue my remaining children. It is a terrible curse to not even know if they are still alive. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/i-still-hope-to-rescue-my-remaining-children-it-is-a-terrible-curse/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“But that’s the trouble with propaganda. It constantly contradicts itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/but-that-s-the-trouble-with-propaganda-it-constantly-contradicts/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“The consul was at a loss for words the first time he set eyes on me. “My God! How could they treat you like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/the-consul-was-at-a-loss-for-words-the-first-time-he-set-eyes-on-me/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“We were nothing but a bunch of ravenous ghosts. The barely living dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/we-were-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-ravenous-ghosts-the-barely-living-dead/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“Did the International Committee of the Red Cross know anything about this? Did the United States? The UN? Yes, yes, and yes. And what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/did-the-international-committee-of-the-red-cross-know-anything-about/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“When we got back to our house, the villagers who’d had helped carry her coffin as far as the mountainside were there, partaking enthusiastically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/when-we-got-back-to-our-house-the-villagers-who-d-had-helped-carry/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [“Much later, I checked out the Ten Commandments of the Abrahamic religions. You know how many of them contain a reference to God? About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/much-later-i-checked-out-the-ten-commandments-of-the-abrahamic/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) [Explore all 100 Masaji Ishikawa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) ## More Free quotes > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [If you love anything set it free unless it is a tiger..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshitij-roshan/if-you-love-anything-set-it-free-unless-it-is-a-tiger/) [Kshitij Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshitij-roshan/) > [I free slaves because I believe we are all created equal. I just can't think of anything that has a higher purpose than putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-williams/i-free-slaves-because-i-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-i-just-can-t/) [Virginia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-williams/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [My work is a love for me; I'd do it for free, but don't tell my bosses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chick-hearn/my-work-is-a-love-for-me-i-d-do-it-for-free-but-don-t-tell-my-bosses/) [Chick Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chick-hearn/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“She felt wild and unruly, determined and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/she-felt-wild-and-unruly-determined-and-free/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [Love doesnt stake claims. 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