There is no doubt that he [Raja Rammohun Roy] was the first who held before us the ideal of freedom. He was the first to sound the note of freedom in every department of life and in every different culture that has met today in India. It may be that we have to modify that, it may we have to analyse that more carefully and more in details for the purpose of scientific study but it is enough for our purpose to say that he inaugurated many reforms – you might call that reforming activity. He inaugurated the reforms which again, in turn, gave rise to reaction which, again, gave rise to further reforms which made the nation turn on itself, till at last, it began to be self-conscious.

Speech delivered at Barisal on 14th October 1917. Source: Collected Works of Deshbandhu.