Julian Assange

“Intelligence agencies keep things secret because they often violate the rule of law or of good behavior.”

“I mean there's enormous pressures to harmonize freedom of speech legislation and transparency legislation around the world - within the E.U., between China and the United States. Which way i...”

“We have a way of dealing with information that has sort of personal - personally identifying information in it. But there are legitimate secrets - you know, your records with your doctor; th...”

“During the period of house arrest, I had an electronic manacle around my leg for 24 hours a day, and for someone who has tried to give others liberty all their adult life, that is absolutely...”

“I found in investigative journalism it is always best, if you have any language skills, not to admit them.”

“Stopping leaks is a new form of censorship.”

“The supply of leaks is very large. It's helpful for us to have more people in this industry. It's protective to us.”

“Wikileaks is a mechanism to maximize the flow of information to maximize the amount of action leading to just reform.”

“Cablegate is 3,000 volumes of material. It is the greatest intellectual treasure to have entered into the public record in modern times.”

“It's interesting that Swiss banks also hide their assets from the Swiss by using offshore bank structuring.”

“The penetration of society by the Internet and the penetration of the Internet by society is the best thing that has ever happened to global human civilisation.”

“We don't have sources who are dissidents on other sources. Should they come forward, that would be a tricky situation for us. But we're presumably acting in such a way that people feel moral...”

“By bringing out into the public domain how human institutions actually behave, we can understand frankly, to a degree, for the first time the civilization that we actually have.”

“Although I still write, research and investigate, my role is primarily that of a publisher and editor-in-chief who organises and directs other journalists.”

“We always expect tremendous criticism. It is my role to be the lightning rod ... to attract the attacks against the organization for our work, and that is a difficult role. On the other hand...”

“You can either be informed and your own rulers, or you can be ignorant and have someone else, who is not ignorant, rule over you.”

“Well, I mean, the real attack on truth is tabloid journalism in the United States.”

“Journalism should be more like science. As far as possible, facts should be verifiable. If journalists want long-term credibility for their profession, they have to go in that direction. Hav...”

“WikiLeaks is designed to make capitalism more free and ethical.”

“In the history of Wikileaks, nobody has claimed that the material being put out is not authentic.”