Quotes About Freedom

How we feel at any given moment of a flow activity is strongly influenced by the objective conditions; but consciousness is still free to follow its own assessment of the case.

To overcome the anxieties and depressions of contemporary life, individuals must become independent of the social environment to the degree that they no longer respond exclusively in terms of its rewards and punishments.

we develop a set of our own. The most important step in emancipating oneself from social controls is the ability to find rewards in the events of each moment. If a person learns to enjoy and find meaning in the ongoing stream of experience, in the process of living itself, the burden of social controls automatically falls from one's shoulders.

one begins to harvest the genuine rewards of living. But it is not by abandoning ourselves to instinctual desires that we become free of social controls. We must also become independent from the dictates of the body, and learn to take charge of what happens in the mind. Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there. As long as we obey the socially conditioned stimulus-response patterns that exploit our biological inclinations, we are controlled from the outside.

To the extent that a glamorous ad makes us salivate for the product sold or that a frown from the boss spoils the day, we are not free to determine the content of experience

The most important step in emancipating oneself from social controls is the ability to find rewards in the events of each moment. If a person learns to enjoy and find meaning in the ongoing stream of experience, in the process of living itself, the burden of social controls automatically

Since what we experience is reality, as far as we are concerned, we can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of the outside world.

This is not to imply that a return to the rigid values and limited choices of the past would be preferable—even if that were a possibility, which it is not. The complexity and freedom that have been thrust upon us, and that our ancestors had fought so hard to achieve, are a challenge we must find ways to master.

But a person who forgoes the use of his symbolic skills is never really free. His thinking will be directed by the opinions of his neighbors, by the editorials in the papers, and by the appeals of television. He will be at the mercy of "experts.

La persona que no puede resistirse a la comida o al alcohol, o cuya mente está siempre pensando en el sexo, no es libre para dirigir su energía psíquica.

Breaking out of the fatalistic acceptance of genetic or historical programming requires, at the very least, a belief in freedom and self-determination.

It's fun to come up with an idea, and if nobody wants it, I don't give a damn. It's just fun to come up with something strange and different.

How to avoid the danger of polarizing life into work that is meaningless because it is unfree, and leisure that is meaningless because it has no purpose?

But personalizing patterns of action helps to free the mind from the expectations that make demands on attention and allows intense concentration on matters that count.

It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.

It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were. When we choose a goal and invest ourselves in it to the limits of concentration, whatever we do will be enjoyable. And once we have tasted this joy, we will redouble our efforts to taste it again. This is the way the self grows.

Ne valgis ir g?rimas dievotum? rodo.Kvaila paisyti, kaip žmogus miega –virviniame gulte ar ant p?k? patal?. Valgau, k? noriu, ir miegu, kaip noriu, ir niekas negali man?s už tai smerkti. Tegul mano, kad aš kvaila, jei nori. Man tik geriau.

Kdo si postaví d?m, je jeho otrokem. Kdo obdÄ›lává p?du, je jejím otrokem.

In other words, they were unwilling to tolerate conservative speech, which they were intolerant of conservative speech.

Constantine proclaimed that everyone should be allowed to live according to his conscience, without fear.13

If rules make a framework for the mind to climb about in, why should the mind not climb right out?

Drama-free" doesn't mean getting rid of the drama or the people who create it. It means being free from its debilitating effects in our lives. This book is about getting free—not letting our lives and attitudes be controlled by the choices of others.

Freedom without discipline feels like chaos, and some of the most stifling environments are those where there is freedom without a framework of discipline. Likewise, discipline without freedom feels constricting, and will likely lead to rebellion once a child gets frustrated enough with the lack of freedom. In both cases, the result is fear.

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." —Luke 11:28–30 msg