People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn't stop you from having your own opinion.

The line contrasts outward compliance with inner freedom: others may pressure you into silence, but they cannot fully control what you think. It affirms the persistence of private judgment even under social coercion, suggesting that opinion is an interior possession that survives censorship. At the same time, it implies a subtle form of resistance—maintaining one’s own view is a first step toward moral independence, even when speech is constrained. The quote is often invoked to encourage intellectual autonomy and to distinguish between being prevented from speaking and being prevented from believing.