Caring person Quote by Masha Gessen
““In the collective prosecutorial mind our apologies are also apparently characterized as “so-called.” Though I find this insulting. It causes me suffering and moral harm. Because our apologies were sincere. I am so sad that we have said so many words and you have not understood any of them. Or are you lying when you talk of our apologies as though they were insincere? I don’t understand: What more do you need to hear? For me, only this trial can rightly be referred to as “so-called.” And I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of lies and fictions and of poorly coded deception in the verdict of this so-called court, because all you can do is take away my so-called freedom, the only sort that exists in the Russian Federation. But no one can take away my inner freedom. It lives in my words and it will survive thanks to the public nature of my statements, which will be heard and read by thousands. This freedom is already multiplying, thanks to every caring person who hears us in this country. Thanks to everyone who has found splinters of this trial in themselves, as Franz Kafka and Guy Debord once did. I believe that openness and public speech and a hunger for the truth make us all a little bit freeer. We will see this yet. The””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Public statement by Masha Gessen, 2022
The speaker asserts that sincere apologies are dismissed as insincere, causing personal harm, yet claims inner freedom cannot be taken away, emphasizing the power of public speech and truth.
In simple terms: Apologies are belittled, but inner freedom remains through truth and speech.
Protect and speak truth despite external attempts to silence.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- legal trials
- media interviews
- activist rallies
- online platforms
- community discussions
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can individuals maintain inner freedom under oppressive regimes?
- What role does public speech play in protecting personal liberty?
The claim of “so‑called” freedom may overlook systemic constraints that limit real change.