“Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Widely attributed to Gandhi (often linked to Young India); appears in compilations, no dated primary verbatim-confirmed.
About this quote
Self-rule isn't one good among many that can be weighed on a scale; strip it away and everything else loses its air. That is why people who have tasted independence will accept costs that look irrational to anyone measuring only comfort or safety.
When to use it
- A worker leaves a secure but controlling job to run a smaller business she actually directs.
- A community organizes for years to win the right to manage its own water supply.
- Someone attacks their debt aggressively to escape a lender's grip on every future choice.