Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR): Freedom Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Article.Sentence) or (Preamble.Sentence)

Quote #1

The advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people. (Preamble.2)

The freedoms referenced here were the Allies' proclaimed purpose in fighting World War II. President Franklin Roosevelt originally came up with the idea of "four freedoms," presenting the war as a humanitarian endeavor. Today, these freedoms really represent the values of the modern United Nations, and all the political, philanthropic, and cultural work that it does.

In 1943, artist Norman Rockwell published four illustrations of these freedoms in The Saturday Evening Post. Check 'em out

Quote #2

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. (1.1)

This is pretty much the underlying idea behind all modern human rights philosophies. The old world was all about authority. It featured slavery, serfdom, imperialism, and classism. But the new world under the United Nations was supposed to embrace the higher principles of humanitarianism.

Quote #3

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. (5.1)

If you want to talk about things that are incompatible with human rights, slavery would top the list. Abolitionists the world over had been trying to end slavery since the 1800s (at least), but during World War II, forced labor drove the Nazi Germany war machine. Sadly, slavery still persists against international law in the contemporary world.