freedom is not free

English

Alternative forms

• freedom ain't free
• freedom isn't free
• freedom's not free

Proverb

freedom is not free

1. (chiefly US politics) For freedom to exist as a legal right in a country, it has to actively be fought for and protected (e.g. by the military).

Usage notes

• Used widely in the United States to express gratitude to the military for defending freedom, and thus to justify the existence of a powerful military, or of military presence in other countries.

See also

• there's no such thing as a free lunch