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French civic exam 2026, Rights and duties
Article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states that "liberty consists of being able to do anything that does not harm others." What does this mean?
An official question of the French civic exam, with its answer and the official text that proves it, in French and English.
Naturalisation no. 93
L'article 4 de la Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen affirme que "la liberté consiste à pouvoir faire tout ce qui ne nuit pas à autrui". Qu'est-ce que cela signifie ?
Article 4 of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states that "liberty consists of being able to do anything that does not harm others." What does this mean?
Answer. Everyone is free, as long as they do not harm others. It is the law that sets the limits of this freedom.
Chacun est libre, tant qu'il ne fait pas de tort aux autres. C'est la loi qui fixe les limites de cette liberté.
My freedom stops where the rights of others begin. The limits of freedom serve to protect others, and only the law can set them.
The official text that proves it
« ainsi, l'exercice des droits naturels de chaque homme n'a de bornes que celles qui assurent aux autres membres de la société la jouissance de ces mêmes droits. Ces bornes ne peuvent être déterminées que par la loi. »
thus, the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those that ensure to the other members of society the enjoyment of these same rights. These limits can be determined only by law.
In French, with its English meaning.
Next questions in this theme
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Questions from the official lists of the French Ministry of the Interior, quotations from the civic training sheets, the Constitution and the 1789 Declaration, Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0. This is not a government site. The official sheets are free, in French, on formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr.
