Richard Stallman
Founder of the free software movement and the GNU Project.
Most quoted
"Calling it 'intellectual property' is a propaganda term designed to confuse people into thinking that the various different laws that restrict what you can do with information are all one thing, and that they all have the same moral basis."
— from Various speeches
"I could have made money this way, and perhaps amused myself writing code. But I knew that at the end of my career, I would look back on years of building walls to divide people, and feel I had spent my life making the world a worse place."
— from The GNU Project
"My work on free software is motivated by an idealistic goal: spreading freedom and cooperation. I want to encourage free software to spread, replacing proprietary software that forbids cooperation, and thus make our society better."
— from Essays
All quotes by Richard Stallman (373)
Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) is an attack on the public, an attack on freedom, and an attack on culture.
The problem with proprietary software is not just that it's non-free, but that it's often malicious.
The internet was designed to be decentralized, but it's becoming increasingly centralized.
The idea of 'intellectual property' is a dangerous metaphor.
The purpose of copyright is to promote progress, not to enrich publishers.
The term 'piracy' is a propaganda term designed to equate sharing with stealing.
The free software movement is a social movement, a political movement, and an ethical movement.
The internet is a battlefield for freedom.
The idea of 'digital rights' is a misnomer. They are not rights, they are restrictions.
The most important thing is to have control over your own computing.
The term 'intellectual property' is a dangerous simplification.
The internet is a threat to privacy, unless we take action to protect it.
The free software movement is a struggle for freedom and justice.
The idea of 'ownership' of software is a mistake.
The internet is a tool for empowerment, but it can also be a tool for oppression.
The term 'intellectual property' is a trap.
The internet is a public resource, and it should be treated as such.
The idea of 'digital scarcity' is an artificial construct.
The internet is a global village, but it's a village with many fences.
The free software movement is about sharing.
Contemporaries of Richard Stallman
Other Computer Sciences born within 50 years of Richard Stallman (1953).