Quotes About Autonomy

By lying, we deny others a view of the world as it is. Our dishonesty not only influences the choices they make, it often determines the choices they can make—and in ways we cannot always predict. Every lie is a direct assault upon the autonomy of those we lie to.

Compatibilism amounts to nothing more than an assertion of the following creed: A puppet is free as long as he loves his strings.

My choices matter—and there are paths towards making wiser ones—but I cannot choose what I choose. And if it ever appears that I do—for instance, after going back between two options—I do not choose to choose what I choose. There is a regress here that always ends in darkness.

Why didn't I decide to drink a glass of juice? The thought never occurred to me. Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do? Of course not.

Every lie is an assault on the autonomy of those we lie to.

Consider what it would take to actually have free will. You would need to be aware of all the factors that determine your thoughts and actions, and you would need to have complete control over those factors.

Becoming a part of a movement doesn't help anybody think clearly.

Am I free to do that which does not occur to me to do?

A puppet is free so long as he loves his strings

Choosing beliefs freely is not what rational minds do.

Peaceful, honest people have the right to be left alone.

Placing blame on others is easy. Taking responsibility for yourself is empowering.

I have nothing to prove to anyone. I only play for myself.

A nation' s strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow from others.

Love must neither beg nor demand. Love must be strong enough to find certainty within itself. It then cease to be moved and becomes the mover.

Remember always that you have not only the right to be an individual; you have an obligation to be one.

No longer lend your strength to that which you wish to be free from.

You can't build a strong corporation with a lot of committees and a board that has to be consulted every turn. You have to be able to make decisions on your own.

A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.

Strength and independence are always something that I'm drawn to in all my characters, no matter how different they are from one another.

Don't be a pawn in somebody's game. Find the attitude which gives you the maximum strength and the maximum dignity, no matter what else is going on

With a strength I can be proud of, I live only for myself, and only die for myself. I'll never die for someone, cause I know the pain of who remains alive, this is my pride.

It is in the nature of a group and its power to turn against independence, the property of individual strength.

There is no support so strong as the strength that enables one to stand alone.