Some of the most famous and influential statements/quotes on human rights throughout modern history.

“In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.” –

“No Freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be denied  his Freehold, or Liberties, or free Customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any other wise destroyed; nor will We not pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful judgement of his Peers, or by the Law of the Land. We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either Justice or Right. ”

—Clause XXIX of the Magna Carta, 15th June (Habeas Corpus

“IT IS ACCORDINGLY OUR WISH AND COMMAND that the English Church shall be free, and that men in our kingdom shall have and keep all these liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably in their fullness and entirety for them and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all things and all places for ever.”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

– US Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776

“The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience by in any manner, or on any pretext infringed.”

– First Amendment to the US Constitution June 8, 1789 (link)

“Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.”

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (France, 1789)

“This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society”

The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (France, 1791)

That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.

– John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (1859)

“In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just – a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless.”

– Abraham Lincoln’s Second Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

– Article 1, UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by UN, 10 Dec 1948.

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

– Article 2, UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by UN, 10 Dec 1948.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

– Article 18, UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by UN, 10 Dec 1948.

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

– Article 18, UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by UN, 10 Dec 1948.

 “The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.”

― John F. Kennedy

“We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Supreme Court, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)

“The denial of this sacred right is a tragic betrayal of the highest mandates of our democratic tradition. And so our most urgent request to the president of the United States and every member of Congress is to give us the right to vote.”

– Martin Luther King, Give us the Ballot, 1957

“We must work with determination to create a society, not where black men are superior and other men are inferior and vice versa, but a society in which all men will live together as brothers and respect the dignity and worth of human personality.”

– Martin Luther King, Give us the Ballot, 1957

Democracy is based on the majority principle. This is especially true in a country such as ours where the vast majority have been systematically denied their rights. At the same time, democracy also requires that the rights of political and other minorities be safeguarded.

– Nelson Mandela, 1994, Inaugural speech

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Quotes on Human Rights Rights”, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, 4th February 2015

Related

Inspirational people – People who made a difference in a positive way and left the world a better place. Includes Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa and Emil Zatopek.

People who fought for human/civil rights  – People who campaigned for equality, civil rights and civil justice. Includes Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks.

Major periods in world history. A list of the major periods in world history. Including the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. It also includes modern eras, which have lasted only a few decades, such as the Gilded Age, Progressive Age and the Information Age.

• Quotes that changed the world