--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it…" description: "\"A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of the exercise of a right power may deprive me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg" --- # A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing… ![“A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of the exercise of a right power may deprive me; of the right itself, never.” quote by Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg) > “A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of the exercise of a right power may deprive me; of the right itself, never.” [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rights are inherent facts, not gifts; they can be limited by power but never erased. **In simple terms:** Rights exist inherently, not given. Key Takeaway Defend inherent rights against abuse. Themes justice rights power dynamics Mood determined urgent Type political philosophical When to use this quote - social movements - education Key Concepts legal theory political activism Questions to Reflect On - What rights feel most threatened today? - How can societies protect inherent rights? A Different Perspective Power can suppress but not nullify rights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Abstract Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-fact-359801/) [Deprive Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deprive-right-359804/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Right Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-abstract-359800/) [Right Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-power-359802/) [Thing Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-given-359803/) ## Related quotes > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“It is a simple thing, a name. We are given one, we grow in to it, we bear it. Simple for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-govier/it-is-a-simple-thing-a-name-we-are-given-one-we-grow-in-to-it-we-bear/) [Katherine Govier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-govier/) > [Do the thing and you will be given the power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/do-the-thing-and-you-will-be-given-the-power/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“He gave me the one thing he's never given to anyone before.. He gave me his heart, and his trust. And in return, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-towle/he-gave-me-the-one-thing-he-s-never-given-to-anyone-before-he-gave-me/) [Samantha Towle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-towle/) > [“Where do we go from here? Would books help us?" "Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/where-do-we-go-from-here-would-books-help-us-only-if-the-third/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The hardest thing I have done is given up power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-lauder/the-hardest-thing-i-have-done-is-given-up-power/) [Ronald Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-lauder/) > [“has ever done this or that is a good thing. When given an unfair task, some rightly see it as a chance to test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/has-ever-done-this-or-that-is-a-good-thing-when-given-an-unfair-task/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [He did and said all the right things. Things that went straight to her heart, and worse, they inspired the one thing that she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/he-did-and-said-all-the-right-things-things-that-went-straight-to-her/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) > [I've permitted myself to learn and to fail with some regularity. And that is probably the one thing I was given, and that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-ve-permitted-myself-to-learn-and-to-fail-with-some-regularity-and/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [Being a mum is the best thing that has ever been given to me in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-fox/being-a-mum-is-the-best-thing-that-has-ever-been-given-to-me-in-my/) [Emilia Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-fox/) > [“If you really love someone,you must give all your love to her and make her feel that she's the very special thing that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venzyr-baslot/if-you-really-love-someone-you-must-give-all-your-love-to-her-and/) [Venzyr Baslot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venzyr-baslot/) > [The best thing we're put here for's to see; The strongest thing that's given us to see with's a telescope. Someone in every town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-best-thing-we-re-put-here-for-s-to-see-the-strongest-thing-that-s/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“these two people who had everything money could buy but the one thing that could be given freely: love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen/these-two-people-who-had-everything-money-could-buy-but-the-one-thing/) [Justina Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen/) > [The spirit in which a thing is given determines that in which the debt is acknowledged; it's the intention, not the face-value of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-spirit-in-which-a-thing-is-given-determines-that-in-which-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Only if the third necessary thing could be given us. Number one, as I said: quality of information. Number two: leisure to digest it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/only-if-the-third-necessary-thing-could-be-given-us-number-one-as-i/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Voltairine de Cleyre > [And now, what has Anarchism to say to all this, this bankruptcy of republicanism, this modern empire that has grown up on the ruins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/and-now-what-has-anarchism-to-say-to-all-this-this-bankruptcy-of/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“It is the city that is wrong, and its creations can never be right; they may be improved; they can never be what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-the-city-that-is-wrong-and-its-creations-can-never-be-right/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Private enterprise manages better all that to which it is equal. Anarchism declares that private enterprise, whether individual or cooperative, is equal to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/private-enterprise-manages-better-all-that-to-which-it-is-equal/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [No one can hate petitions worse than I, and no one has less faith in them than I. But for my champion I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/no-one-can-hate-petitions-worse-than-i-and-no-one-has-less-faith-in/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [A standing army is a standing menace to liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-standing-army-is-a-standing-menace-to-liberty/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [ “\[T\]o remain in a continually exalted moral condition is not human nature.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/t-o-remain-in-a-continually-exalted-moral-condition-is-not-human/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“As to the essence of Commerce and Manufacture, it is this: to establish bonds between every corner of the earth’s surface and every other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/as-to-the-essence-of-commerce-and-manufacture-it-is-this-to-establish/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Anarchism, to me, means not only the denial of authority, not only a new economy, but a revision of the principles of morality. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/anarchism-to-me-means-not-only-the-denial-of-authority-not-only-a-new/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [There is one common struggle against those who have appropriated the earth, the money, and the machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/there-is-one-common-struggle-against-those-who-have-appropriated-the/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“It is understood that when we speak of history we do not allude to the unspeakable trash contained in public school text-books (which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-understood-that-when-we-speak-of-history-we-do-not-allude-to/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [“Nearly all the laws which were originally framed with the intention of benefiting the workers, have either turned into weapons in their enemies’ hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/nearly-all-the-laws-which-were-originally-framed-with-the-intention/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [ \[The married woman is\] is a bonded slave, who takes her master's name, her master's bread, and serves her master's passion; \[and\] who passes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-married-woman-is-is-a-bonded-slave-who-takes-her-master-s-name/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Is it not enough that 'things are cruel and blind'? Must we also be cruel and blind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/is-it-not-enough-that-things-are-cruel-and-blind-must-we-also-be/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [The revolution is ... the blow dealt ... agains the counter force of tyranny, which has never entirely recovered from the blow, but which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-revolution-is-the-blow-dealt-agains-the-counter-force-of-tyranny/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [... it is better to study how to live rather than how to die; ... it is better to have a religion of deeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/it-is-better-to-study-how-to-live-rather-than-how-to-die-it-is-better/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) [Explore all 50 Voltairine de Cleyre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of the exercise of a right power may deprive me; of the right itself, never.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Voltairine de Cleyre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is-not-a-thing-to-be-given/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstract" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is-not-a-thing-to-be-given/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/voltairine-de-cleyre-13597_abstract_a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is_1627982.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A right , in the abstract, is a fact ; it is not a thing to be given, established, or conferred; it is. Of…” — Voltairine de Cleyre", "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": "Voltairine de Cleyre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A right , in the abstract,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is-not-a-thing-to-be-given/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/a-right-in-the-abstract-is-a-fact-it-is-not-a-thing-to-be-given/#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 } } ] } ```