--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tyrant claims freedom to kill…" description: "\"The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it for himself.\" — Rabindranath Tagore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png" --- # The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it… ![“The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it for himself.” quote by Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png) > “The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it for himself.” [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power that claims liberty while oppressing others is a falsehood that serves only the oppressor. **In simple terms:** Freedom claimed while denying it is hypocrisy. Key Takeaway Beware leaders who restrict rights for personal gain. Themes politics power freedom Mood cautious critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - activism - voting - human rights advocacy Key Concepts authoritarianism hypocrisy civil rights Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits when freedom is restricted? - How can societies protect true liberty? A Different Perspective Such claims often mask deeper systemic injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Claims Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims-freedom-5784552/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Kill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-kill-1921760/) [Kill Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-freedom-5944321/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Tyrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant/) [Tyrant Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrant-claims-5944320/) [Tyrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyrants/) ## Related quotes > [The freedom to kill is not a true freedom, but a tyranny that reduces human beings to slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-freedom-to-kill-is-not-a-true-freedom-but-a-tyranny-that-reduces/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Whereas each man claims his freedom as a matter of right, the freedom he accords to other men is a matter of toleration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/whereas-each-man-claims-his-freedom-as-a-matter-of-right-the-freedom/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“I’m giving you your freedom tonight, Ashton. So fucking take it.” I don’t regret a second of it. Not as he flips me onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-tucker/i-m-giving-you-your-freedom-tonight-ashton-so-fucking-take-it-i-don-t/) [K.A. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-tucker/) > [In the States, I learned to fight for every idea. Sometimes, a director has to be a tyrant to keep the quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pierre-jeunet/in-the-states-i-learned-to-fight-for-every-idea-sometimes-a-director/) [Jean-Pierre Jeunet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pierre-jeunet/) > [But if one wishes to be absolute master of all, to obtain the entire inheritance, and to exclude his brothers from even a third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nyssa/but-if-one-wishes-to-be-absolute-master-of-all-to-obtain-the-entire/) [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nyssa/) > [Between a tyrant and a prince there is this single or chief difference, that the latter obeys the law and rules the people by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-salisbury/between-a-tyrant-and-a-prince-there-is-this-single-or-chief/) [John of Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-salisbury/) > [A wicked tyrant is better than a wicked war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/a-wicked-tyrant-is-better-than-a-wicked-war/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [The government is a tyrant living by theft, and therefore has no business to engage in any business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/the-government-is-a-tyrant-living-by-theft-and-therefore-has-no/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [Let us render the tyrant no aid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/let-us-render-the-tyrant-no-aid/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [A tyrant does not remain in the world; But the curse on him abides forever!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/a-tyrant-does-not-remain-in-the-world-but-the-curse-on-him-abides/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [ \[It is a basic principle of a tyrant\] to unarm his people of weapons, money and all means whereby they resist his power. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-raleigh/it-is-a-basic-principle-of-a-tyrant-to-unarm-his-people-of-weapons/) [Walter Raleigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-raleigh/) > [Every apathetic individual is a brick in a tyrant's throne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/every-apathetic-individual-is-a-brick-in-a-tyrant-s-throne/) [Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/) > [Love reigns a very tyrant in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-otway/love-reigns-a-very-tyrant-in-my-heart/) [Thomas Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-otway/) > [I will never, for the future, paint the portrait of a tyrant until his head lies before me on the scaffold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-louis-david/i-will-never-for-the-future-paint-the-portrait-of-a-tyrant-until-his/) [Jacques-Louis David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-louis-david/) > [The tyrant has fallen, and Iraq is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-tyrant-has-fallen-and-iraq-is-free/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) ## More by Rabindranath Tagore > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet! Submitted by Lisa Letto, Coordinator, Nutrition Resource and Volunteer Centre, College of Pharmacy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/plant-flowers-in-others-gardens-and-your-life-becomes-a-bouquet/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The meaning of this is, that whomsoever we love, in him we find our own soul in the highest sense. The final truth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-meaning-of-this-is-that-whomsoever-we-love-in-him-we-find-our-own/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-you-shed-tears-when-you-miss-the-sun-you-also-miss-the-stars/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Go not to the temple to put flowers upon the feet of God, first fill your own house with the fragrance of love. Go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/go-not-to-the-temple-to-put-flowers-upon-the-feet-of-god-first-fill/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The best kind of wealth is to give up inordinate desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-best-kind-of-wealth-is-to-give-up-inordinate-desires/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [If it is necessary to die in order to live like men, what harm in dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/if-it-is-necessary-to-die-in-order-to-live-like-men-what-harm-in-dying/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“Strong Mercy: My desires are many and my cry is pitiful, but ever didst thou save me by hard refusals; and this strong mercy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/strong-mercy-my-desires-are-many-and-my-cry-is-pitiful-but-ever-didst/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The weak can be terrible because they try furiously to appear strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-weak-can-be-terrible-because-they-try-furiously-to-appear-strong/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The movement of life has to rest in its own music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-movement-of-life-has-to-rest-in-its-own-music/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [It is the docile who achieve the most impossible things in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/it-is-the-docile-who-achieve-the-most-impossible-things-in-this-world/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“There, display and extravagance, in dress, in furniture, in costly entertainments, are startling. They seem to push you back into a corner, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/there-display-and-extravagance-in-dress-in-furniture-in-costly/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) [Explore all 596 Rabindranath Tagore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) ## More Claims quotes > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/) [Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/) > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [Those who do not know what love is likens it to beauty Those who claim to know what love is likens it to ugliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/those-who-do-not-know-what-love-is-likens-it-to-beauty-those-who/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Life is so full of meaning and of purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find that earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-full-of-meaning-and-of-purpose-so-full-of-beauty-beneath/) [Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/) [Browse all 2,762 Claims quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it for himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rabindranath Tagore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedom-and-yet-keep-it-for-himself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Claims" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedom-and-yet-keep-it-for-himself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e37/rabindranath-tagore-383_claims_the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedo_3201229.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The tyrant claims freedom to kill freedom, and yet keep it for himself.” — Rabindranath Tagore", "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": "Rabindranath Tagore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The tyrant claims freedom to kill...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedom-and-yet-keep-it-for-himself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-tyrant-claims-freedom-to-kill-freedom-and-yet-keep-it-for-himself/#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 } } ] } ```