Quotes About Autonomy

you will not be master of my body & my property

The only periods, I suspect, when a man feels captain of his soul are those when he has not the slightest need of such an organ.

The deepest problems of modern life derive from the claim of the individual to preserve the autonomy and individuality of his existence in the face of overwhelming social forces, of historical heritage, of external culture, and of the technique of life.

Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.

The ordinary man is an anarchist. He wants to do as he likes. He may want his neighbor to be governed, but he himself doesn't want to be governed.

Hypatia:...I don't want to be good; and I don't want to be bad: I just don't want to be bothered about either good or bad: I want to be an active verb. Lord Summerhays: An active verb? Oh, I see.An active verb signifies to be, to do or to suffer. Hypatia: Just so; how clever of you! I want to be; I want to do; and I'm game to suffer if it costs that. But stick here doing nothing but being good and nice and ladylike I simply won't.

and I wont be coaxed round as if I was a baby or a puppy. If I cant have kindness, I'll have independence.

I can do without anybody. I have my own soul: my own spark of divine fire.

I don't say it was a bad one. But bad or good, I didn't choose to be cut to your measure. And I won't be cut to it.

If she comes, I'm not at home. If she wants anything, let her take it. If she asks for me, let her be informed that I am exceedingly old and I have totally forgotten her.

Liberty is the breath of life to nations.

We are a nation of sheep, and someone else owns the grass.

People always tell me Have a nice day. Well what if I don't want to? What if I want to have a crappy day?

Avoid teams at all cost. Keep your circle small. Never join a group that has a name.

If you had yourself cloned, who exactly, would be your parents? Can you raise yourself? I guess so. And it might be fun. Just think, by the age of six you'd be driving yourself to school.

Rights aren't really rights if someone can take them away.

You are a good young man, she said. But I do not like husbands. I will never have another.

A husband would not let you have your plans.

There is a fine line between loneliness and independence.

Self-reliant loners, who think they can do everything on their own, often make fatal mistakes and decisions.

Women are human beings and have a right to control their own bodies. When that is denied, they are not free.

Legislative proposals that would enable an employer to determine whether or not a woman's insurance would cover the cost of birth control strikes women as particularly bizarre. Is the boss going to take care of the children that are conceived accidentally? Stop treating us like children. Women are grown ups.

Women's rights are nothing but a part of the bigger picture, which is human rights. Women are trusted with the lives of their kids, even serve as teachers and doctors, but they aren't trusted with their own lives.

I think women are taught to ask permission about everything. We don't realize that we are entitled and we do have a say in our lives.