--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom of expression must be considered…" description: "\"Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.\" — Naguib Mahfouz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg" --- # Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and… ![“Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.” quote by Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg) > “Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.” [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mahfouz argues that free speech is sacred, and ideas are best refined through opposing viewpoints. **In simple terms:** Free speech needs opposing ideas to stay healthy. Key Takeaway Protect and challenge ideas. Themes freedom of speech dialogue intellectual honesty Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public debate - education - media - policy making Key Concepts philosophy politics Questions to Reflect On - How do you foster constructive counter‑thought? - When does counter‑thought become harmful? A Different Perspective Echo chambers can silence dissenting voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) ## Related quotes > [“All that we have invented, the symbols in the church, the rituals, they are all put there by thought. Thought has invented these things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/all-that-we-have-invented-the-symbols-in-the-church-the-rituals-they/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I defend both the freedom of expression and society's right to counter it. I must pay the price for differing. It is the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-defend-both-the-freedom-of-expression-and-society-s-right-to/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [Thought as such… is an act of negation, of resistance to that which is forced upon it; this is what thought has inherited from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thought-as-such-is-an-act-of-negation-of-resistance-to-that-which-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No single step in the persuit of enlightenment should ever be considered sacred; only the search was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/no-single-step-in-the-persuit-of-enlightenment-should-ever-be/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [Everything is now for sale. Even those areas of life that we once considered sacred like health and education, food and water and air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maude-barlow/everything-is-now-for-sale-even-those-areas-of-life-that-we-once/) [Maude Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maude-barlow/) > [People who think of children's nudity as a tool don't need freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-chan/people-who-think-of-children-s-nudity-as-a-tool-don-t-need-freedom-of/) Agnes Chan > [Akbar Ganji is a human rights activist in Iran and he works on freedom of expression and he does his job very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/akbar-ganji-is-a-human-rights-activist-in-iran-and-he-works-on/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [“There were counter-protests, of course, and in the end Mapplethorpe’s work was exhibited, but the message to the arts community was clear: stray too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/there-were-counter-protests-of-course-and-in-the-end-mapplethorpe-s/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [All over the world, there is someone sitting in a cell because he or she is not allowed freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/all-over-the-world-there-is-someone-sitting-in-a-cell-because-he-or/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [We thought the church had withdrawn from interfering in Italian politics... but instead there is a terrible resurgence. These are ugly signs for freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-fo/we-thought-the-church-had-withdrawn-from-interfering-in-italian/) [Dario Fo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-fo/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [We live in a democratic country, and I take great pride in saying that I'm from India, a country where democracy is worshipped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manoj-bajpayee/we-live-in-a-democratic-country-and-i-take-great-pride-in-saying-that/) [Manoj Bajpayee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manoj-bajpayee/) > [“Mubarak said: I talk to you during critical times that are testing Egypt and its people which could sweep them into the unknown ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiso-m-george/mubarak-said-i-talk-to-you-during-critical-times-that-are-testing/) Amiso M. George > [Well, one thing, you got to stand in a courtroom and listen to a judge sentencing you to 25 years in prison before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/well-one-thing-you-got-to-stand-in-a-courtroom-and-listen-to-a-judge/) [Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/) > [It's one of the things I really admire about Sly - we were all allowed to use our creativity, to have freedom of expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-graham/it-s-one-of-the-things-i-really-admire-about-sly-we-were-all-allowed/) [Larry Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-graham/) ## More by Naguib Mahfouz > [Writing is for men who can think and feel, not mindless sensation seekers out of nightclubs and bars. But these are bad times. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/writing-is-for-men-who-can-think-and-feel-not-mindless-sensation/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [He seemed to be waiting for a miracle to save him from the depths his life had reached and take him to a land…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/he-seemed-to-be-waiting-for-a-miracle-to-save-him-from-the-depths-his/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I thought they would never select an Eastern writer for the Nobel. I was surprised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-thought-they-would-never-select-an-eastern-writer-for-the-nobel-i/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [Happy is he who can give himself up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/happy-is-he-who-can-give-himself-up/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [We wont develop until we accept that reading is a vital necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/we-wont-develop-until-we-accept-that-reading-is-a-vital-necessity/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [The Arab world also won the Nobel with me. I believe that international doors have opened, and that from now on, literate people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/the-arab-world-also-won-the-nobel-with-me-i-believe-that/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I am the son of two civilizations that at a certain age in history have formed a happy marriage. The first of these, seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-am-the-son-of-two-civilizations-that-at-a-certain-age-in-history/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [God did not intend religion to be an exercise club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/god-did-not-intend-religion-to-be-an-exercise-club/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [If life has no meaning, why don't we create a meaning for it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/if-life-has-no-meaning-why-don-t-we-create-a-meaning-for-it/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I accepted the interviews and encounters that had to be held with the media, but I would have preferred to work in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-accepted-the-interviews-and-encounters-that-had-to-be-held-with-the/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [Events at home, at work, in the street - these are the bases for a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/events-at-home-at-work-in-the-street-these-are-the-bases-for-a-story/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [Today's interpretations of religion are often backward and contradict the needs of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/today-s-interpretations-of-religion-are-often-backward-and-contradict/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I am practically in the employ of Mr. Nobel. I have to meet everyone he sends my way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-am-practically-in-the-employ-of-mr-nobel-i-have-to-meet-everyone-he/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [I reject any path which rejects life, but I can't help loving Sufism because it sounds so beautiful. It gives relief in the midst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/i-reject-any-path-which-rejects-life-but-i-can-t-help-loving-sufism/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [At my age it is unseemly to be pessimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/at-my-age-it-is-unseemly-to-be-pessimistic/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) [Explore all 100 Naguib Mahfouz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) ## More Expression quotes > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [In science, the most exciting expression isn’t ‘Eureka!’ It’s ‘Huh?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawley/in-science-the-most-exciting-expression-isn-t-eureka-it-s-huh/) Michael Hawley > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 5,024 Expression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Naguib Mahfouz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered-sacred-and-thought-can-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered-sacred-and-thought-can-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ed/naguib-mahfouz-4982_expression_freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered_2618962.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Freedom of expression must be considered sacred and thought can only be corrected by counter thought.” — Naguib Mahfouz", "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": "Naguib Mahfouz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Freedom of expression must be considered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered-sacred-and-thought-can-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/freedom-of-expression-must-be-considered-sacred-and-thought-can-only/#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 } } ] } ```