Freedom Quotes
Freedom is not the absence of constraints—it's control over the constraints that define your life. This distinction matters because people often confuse freedom with zero obligations, unlimited options, or the ability to do whatever they want. But that's not freedom; that's chaos masquerading as autonomy. Real freedom is the ability to choose your constraints intentionally rather than having them imposed. The entrepreneur with demanding clients isn't less free than someone unemployed with open schedules—they're differently constrained. The difference is the entrepreneur chose those constraints in service of goals they value, while many unemployed people are constrained by circumstances they didn't choose.
"When you become the observer of your fear, you are no longer at its mercy."
"The only thing which is of lasting benefit to a man is that which he does for himself."
"I'm not going to be responsible for what other people think. It's their problem, not mine."
"You are only as free as you are willing to be vulnerable."
"You have never tasted freedom friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel. Dienekes p. 60"
"The most creative people in the world are the ones who figure out how to stay free in a world of slaves."
"Do we call this the land of the free? What is it to be free from King George and continue the slaves of King Prejudice? What is it to be born free and not to live free? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom? Is it a freedom to be slaves, or a freedom to be free, of which we boast? We are a nation of politicians, concerned about the outmost defences only of freedom. It is our children's children who may perchance be really free. p. 493"
"The world is better when more people can share their voices and more people can connect."
"Discipline is the order that creates freedom."
"You can strip a person of everything except their final liberty: the ability to decide their own attitude regardless of the situation."
"Do not act following customary beliefs."
"We have only one alternative: either to build a functioning industrial society or see freedom itself disappear in anarchy and tyranny. p. 96"
"I was terrified by the idea that my life was a fixed thing, that it was already written."
"A man is morally free only to the extent that his business and his livelihood are not dependent on the approval of others."
"A society without art and intellectual liberty is savage, regardless of its order."
"Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts."
"How can I afford to never work again?"
Website: Wikiquote - Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money-That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!)
"Peace is happiness in rest, happiness is peace in motion."
"Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what the reputation is. You can't control that."
"True freedom is found in discipline."
"We often mistake obsession for love, but one is a prison and the other is a gift."
"The New Rich (NR) are those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility."
"Everything is a choice."
"I am not for a return to that definition of liberty under which for many years a free people were being gradually regimented into the service of the privileged few."
"To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad."
"I would rather be the master of my own soul than the master of the world."
"I had this feeling of social irresponsibility—that I didn't have to be good because they expect me to be good. I could just be myself."
"Nothing has transformed my life more than realizing that it's a waste of time to evaluate my worthiness by weighing the reaction of the people in the stands."
"The most creative thing you can do is design a life that you do not need a vacation from."
"The progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a true respect for the individual."
"True success comes from having the freedom to fail. If I had to support my family growing up instead of having time to code, I wouldn't be here."
"Wealth is not just having money; it is the freedom to do what you love."
"Freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness."
"There is no one way to salvation, whatever the manner in which a man may proceed."
"[F]reedom cannot be legislated into existence—though it can be legislated out of existence if the necessary minimum of free government is destroyed. ...[F]reedom rests upon beliefs and social institutions and not upon laws. ...[L]egislative enactment does not create or determine institutional structure, social beliefs and human nature. p. 118"
Why these quotes matter
Freedom matters because it determines whether you're living your life or someone else's. Without it, you're reactive—responding to demands, meeting expectations, solving problems others create for you. With it, you're proactive—choosing challenges, setting standards, creating value you believe in. Freedom also compounds: economic autonomy gives you optionality which enables you to make better choices which increases your value which generates more autonomy. The opposite also compounds: desperation forces bad choices which decrease your value which increases desperation. Freedom is also fragile: it's easier to lose than build. Every commitment you make, debt you accumulate, or standard you adopt narrows your freedom. Some of these trade-offs are worth it—having children reduces freedom but adds meaning. But most people trade freedom unconsciously for things that don't actually matter to them, then wonder why life feels constraining.
How to apply them daily
Build freedom systematically by increasing autonomy and reducing dependence. Economic autonomy: live below your means, build savings that cover 6-12 months expenses, develop skills that are valuable across contexts (writing, selling, building, leading), and avoid lifestyle inflation that locks you into high income requirements. This creates breathing room to say no to bad opportunities and yes to good ones. Psychological independence: practice making choices that others disapprove of but you know are right. Start small—wear something unconventional, share an unpopular opinion, pursue an interest others judge. Each time you survive social disapproval without your self-worth collapsing, you prove you don't need constant validation. Also, audit your commitments: what are you doing out of obligation versus choice? Identify one commitment that doesn't serve you and exit it. Practice saying no without lengthy justification—'that doesn't work for me' is sufficient. Finally, design your life around freedom as a core value: when making decisions, ask 'does this increase or decrease my freedom?' Choose the option that preserves agency, even if it's initially harder or less lucrative.
Search More
Search for Your Favourite Topics & Authors
Jump to another topic, author, or pillar without leaving the archive.
"Freedom is not found—it's built through deliberate choices that preserve agency while others trade it away for comfort, approval, or security. Build economic autonomy so you're not desperate. Build psychological independence so you're not enslaved by others' opinions. Protect both fiercely because they determine whether you're living your life or someone else's."