--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A function of free speech under our…" description: "\"A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it invites a condition of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/william-o-douglas-2931_acceptance_a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-syst_223003.jpg" --- # A function of free speech under our system of government… ![“A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it invites a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may…” quote by William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/william-o-douglas-2931_acceptance_a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-syst_223003.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/william-o-douglas-2931_acceptance_a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-syst_223003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16c/william-o-douglas-2931_acceptance_a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-syst_223003.jpg) > “A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it invites a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. Speech is often provocative and challenging. It may strike at prejudices and preconceptions and have profound unsettling effects as it passes for acceptance of an idea.” [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) ## 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 should provoke disagreement and unrest to challenge the status quo and stimulate societal progress. **In simple terms:** Speech that unsettles can be valuable. Key Takeaway Embrace challenging ideas to foster change. Themes free speech disruption social progress Mood reflective provocative Type philosophical political When to use this quote - activism - public debate - education reform Key Concepts democracy philosophy communication Questions to Reflect On - When does speech become harmful? - How to balance free expression with social harmony? A Different Perspective Provocative speech can also incite division and backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Anger Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-speech-2275099/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Condition Unrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condition-unrest-2275100/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Disputes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disputes/) [Dissatisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissatisfaction/) [Effects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effects/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Invites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invites/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Preconceptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preconceptions/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Provocative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provocative/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Speech Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-government-1046195/) [Speech Provocative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-provocative-2275098/) [Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strikes/) [Systems of government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systems-of-government/) [Unrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unrest/) ## Related quotes > [The solution to voters potentially being misled by a judicial candidate's political speech is more speech - not government censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amul-thapar/the-solution-to-voters-potentially-being-misled-by-a-judicial/) [Amul Thapar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amul-thapar/) > [The function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-function-of-free-speech-under-our-system-of-government-is-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The challenge to our liberties comes frequently not from those who consciously seek to destroy our system of government, but from men of goodwill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-challenge-to-our-liberties-comes-frequently-not-from-those-who/) [William O. 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When plunder becomes a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/there-are-two-ways-to-aquire-the-niceties-of-life-1-to-produce-them/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [In practice, US officials seem to know better than to indulge in the patriotic myth that our constitution is the greatest system of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-yglesias/in-practice-us-officials-seem-to-know-better-than-to-indulge-in-the/) [Matthew Yglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-yglesias/) > [Peace Corps helps promote global acceptance of the principles of international peace and non-violent co-existence among people of diverse cultures and systems of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-farr/peace-corps-helps-promote-global-acceptance-of-the-principles-of/) [Sam Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-farr/) > [The people's right to change what does not work is one of the greatest principles in our system of government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/the-people-s-right-to-change-what-does-not-work-is-one-of-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [What I consistently say to young people - I say it in the United States, but I'll say it here in Germany and across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-i-consistently-say-to-young-people-i-say-it-in-the-united-states/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The fact that you see salarymen reading manga and pornography on the trains and being unafraid, unashamed or anything, is something you wouldn’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-anno/the-fact-that-you-see-salarymen-reading-manga-and-pornography-on-the/) [Hideaki Anno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-anno/) > [For the system of government you fashioned including the very principles on which you based it, is increasingly obsolete, and hence increasingly, if inadvertently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/for-the-system-of-government-you-fashioned-including-the-very/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [If you're going to pick a book and you want to base a system of government around it, why not 'Harry Potter?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-re-going-to-pick-a-book-and-you-want-to-base-a-system-of/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Oswald Mosley's movement, it was a big movement. It was obviously anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, it was populist. Mosley wanted to replace the parliamentary system of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/oswald-mosley-s-movement-it-was-a-big-movement-it-was-obviously-anti/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [...open-market democratic capitalism isn't the best system of government in the world, it just works the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ringo/open-market-democratic-capitalism-isn-t-the-best-system-of-government/) [John Ringo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ringo/) > [In our system of government, the judicial and legislative branches have different roles. Judges are not politicians. Judges must decide cases, not champion causes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orrin-hatch/in-our-system-of-government-the-judicial-and-legislative-branches/) [Orrin Hatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orrin-hatch/) ## More by William O. Douglas > [The First Amendment makes confidence in the common sense of our people and in the maturity of their judgement the great postulate of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-first-amendment-makes-confidence-in-the-common-sense-of-our/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Common sense often makes good law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/common-sense-often-makes-good-law/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Inanimate objects are sometimes parties to litigation. A ship has a legal personality, a fiction found useful for maritime purposes. The corporation sole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/inanimate-objects-are-sometimes-parties-to-litigation-a-ship-has-a/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [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/) > [I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-ve-often-thought-that-if-planners-were-botanists-zoologists/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [I have the same confidence in the ability of our people to reject noxious literature as I have in their capacity to sort out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-have-the-same-confidence-in-the-ability-of-our-people-to-reject/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [The liberties of none are safe unless the liberties of all are protected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-liberties-of-none-are-safe-unless-the-liberties-of-all-are/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [At the constitutional level where we work, 90 percent of any decision is emotional. The rational part of us supplies the reasons for supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/at-the-constitutional-level-where-we-work-90-percent-of-any-decision/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [To be whole and harmonious, man must also know the music of the beaches and the woods. He must find the thing of which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/to-be-whole-and-harmonious-man-must-also-know-the-music-of-the/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Sunlight is the best disinfectant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/sunlight-is-the-best-disinfectant/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [We deal with a right of privacy older than the Bill of Rights-older than our political parties, older than our school system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/we-deal-with-a-right-of-privacy-older-than-the-bill-of-rights-older/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [It is our attitude toward free thought and free expression that will determine our fate. There must be no limit on the range of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/it-is-our-attitude-toward-free-thought-and-free-expression-that-will/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [The interests of the corporation state are to convert all the riches of the earth into dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-interests-of-the-corporation-state-are-to-convert-all-the-riches/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [There have always been grievances and youth has always been the agitator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/there-have-always-been-grievances-and-youth-has-always-been-the/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Those in power are blind devotees to private enterprise. They accept that degree of socialism implicit in the vast subsidies to the military-industrial-complex, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/those-in-power-are-blind-devotees-to-private-enterprise-they-accept/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) [Explore all 145 William O. Douglas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it invites a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditions as they are, or even stirs people to anger. 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