I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not so desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. – Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849

I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do. – Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. – Voltaire