---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no problem with free speech, but…"
description: "\"I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and then silencing your opposition - boy, I have a problem with that.\" — Tomi Lahren"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg"
---

#  I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and…

![“I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and then silencing your opposition - boy, I have a problem with that.” quote by Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg)

> “I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and then silencing your opposition - boy, I have a problem with that.”

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Free speech is undermined when the same platform that enables it is used to silence dissenting voices.

**In simple terms:** Speech is free only if all voices can be heard.

Key Takeaway

True liberty requires protecting opposing viewpoints.

Themes

free speech censorship political discourse

Mood

critical defiant

Type

political social commentary

When to use this quote

- debates on social media moderation
- legislative hearings on speech rights
- campus free‑speech controversies

Key Concepts

paradox of speech suppression power dynamics in media

Practical Applications

- establish transparent moderation policies
- encourage platforms‑platform dialogue

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits, if any, should be placed on speech?
- How can we ensure dissent is heard without amplifying harm?

A Different Perspective

Absolute free speech can enable hate speech; societies must balance openness with harm prevention.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/)

## Related quotes

> [Think 'free speech,' not 'free beer.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/think-free-speech-not-free-beer/)

[Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/)

> [Hate speech can't be a part of free speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-jaitley/hate-speech-can-t-be-a-part-of-free-speech/)

[Arun Jaitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arun-jaitley/)

> [All I care about is free speech and free expression; I want people to be able to be, do, and say anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/all-i-care-about-is-free-speech-and-free-expression-i-want-people-to/)

[Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/)

> [Products are a form of speech, and free speech must be fiercely protected, even if we disagree with some of the voices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-lutke/products-are-a-form-of-speech-and-free-speech-must-be-fiercely/)

[Tobias Lutke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-lutke/)

> [There is a fine line between free speech and hate speech. Free speech encourages debate whereas hate speech incites violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newton-lee/there-is-a-fine-line-between-free-speech-and-hate-speech-free-speech/)

[Newton Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newton-lee/)

> [Free thought, free speech and a free press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-royall/free-thought-free-speech-and-a-free-press/)

[Anne Royall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-royall/)

> [Make no laws whatever concerning speech, and speech will be free; so soon as you make a declaration on paper that speech shall be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/make-no-laws-whatever-concerning-speech-and-speech-will-be-free-so/)

[Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/)

> [It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/it-is-the-function-of-speech-to-free-men-from-the-bondage-of/)

[Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/)

> [The restoration of free speech, free association and free press is almost the whole Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-restoration-of-free-speech-free-association-and-free-press-is/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [The west has fiscalised its basic power relationships through a web of contracts, loans, shareholdings, bank holdings and so on. In such an environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/the-west-has-fiscalised-its-basic-power-relationships-through-a-web/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [A 'live' show is either alive or not. Free speech is free or it is not. Viewers are free to use their remote or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pierson/a-live-show-is-either-alive-or-not-free-speech-is-free-or-it-is-not/)

[Frank Pierson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pierson/)

> [I prefer a little free speech to no free speech at all; but how many have free speech or the chance or the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/i-prefer-a-little-free-speech-to-no-free-speech-at-all-but-how-many/)

[James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/)

> [Speech-Free so I say what I Mean with original bloodstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/speech-free-so-i-say-what-i-mean-with-original-bloodstream/)

C-DASH

> [I once wrote about Don Imus that 'speech is free, but consequences are not.' I never want to be the exception to that rule,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-once-wrote-about-don-imus-that-speech-is-free-but-consequences-are/)

[Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/)

> [“The west has fiscalised its basic power relationships through a web of contracts, loans, shareholdings, bank holdings and so on. In such an environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/the-west-has-fiscalised-its-basic-power-relationships-through-a-web-2/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

## More by Tomi Lahren

> [I'm an everyday American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-m-an-everyday-american/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [The BET definition of a humanitarian is someone who perpetuates a war on cops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/the-bet-definition-of-a-humanitarian-is-someone-who-perpetuates-a-war/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [After the first trimester, I do think that there is some room for the government to intervene, because at that point, it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/after-the-first-trimester-i-do-think-that-there-is-some-room-for-the/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [I have a voice, and I'm going to keep using it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-a-voice-and-i-m-going-to-keep-using-it/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [I think race in America is a huge one. That's something that needs to be confronted, certainly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-think-race-in-america-is-a-huge-one-that-s-something-that-needs-to/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [Truth is, some of you aren't interested in a real conversation about race - you'd rather go on the attack for anyone that dares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/truth-is-some-of-you-aren-t-interested-in-a-real-conversation-about/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [I don't like to read long books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-don-t-like-to-read-long-books/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [I have a very short attention span, so sitting down with a book is very difficult for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-a-very-short-attention-span-so-sitting-down-with-a-book-is/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [The notion that a black suspect can do no wrong and is always the victim is B.S.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/the-notion-that-a-black-suspect-can-do-no-wrong-and-is-always-the/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [Our military members should be able to defend themselves here and abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/our-military-members-should-be-able-to-defend-themselves-here-and/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [People expect me to be angry, bitter. They expect to me be abrasive, aggressive. I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/people-expect-me-to-be-angry-bitter-they-expect-to-me-be-abrasive/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [I don't hate anyone. I just see the evil some pretend doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-don-t-hate-anyone-i-just-see-the-evil-some-pretend-doesn-t-exist/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [People like me because I'm real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/people-like-me-because-i-m-real/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [As conservatives, we know the media is stacked against us. We know popular culture is often stacked against us. We know the narrative has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/as-conservatives-we-know-the-media-is-stacked-against-us-we-know/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [There are too many conservatives who are terrified of being labelled. They're afraid of being labelled, and they're afraid of being not liked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/there-are-too-many-conservatives-who-are-terrified-of-being-labelled/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

[Explore all 100 Tomi Lahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [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/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and then silencing your opposition - boy, I have a problem with that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tomi Lahren"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-free-speech-and-then-silencing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-free-speech-and-then-silencing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76d/tomi-lahren-5756_communication_i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-f_82697.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have no problem with free speech, but free speech and then silencing your opposition - boy, I have a…” — Tomi Lahren",
                "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": "Tomi Lahren",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have no problem with free...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-free-speech-and-then-silencing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-have-no-problem-with-free-speech-but-free-speech-and-then-silencing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
