Quotes About Autonomy

Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.

The hardest thing in the world is to be ourselves. Who are we? Our family tells us, society tells us, laws and customs tell us. But what do we say? How do we get to that place of self-knowledge and conviction where we are able to state without doubt, fear or anger, "This is who I am, this is what I believe, this is how I intend to live my life"?

The professional cannot allow the actions of others to define his reality.

Rooster was a bad slave. He had no use for anyone, not even the gods. Not that he was angry at the gods, like some I'd met. He just dismissed them entirely. There were no gods, and that was that.

the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery.

While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.

When we truly understand that the tribe doesn't give a damn, we're free. There is no tribe, and there never was. Our lives are entirely up to us.

the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery. While those who will not govern themselves are condemned to find masters to govern over them.

nothing good in life comes but at a price. Sweetest of all is liberty.

The paradox seems to be, as Socrates demonstrated long ago, that the truly free individual is free only to the extent of his own self-mastery.

the ordeal had been rendered tolerable, now that I could tell myself it was my own idea.

individuo verdaderamente libre es solo libre en la medida en que se controla a sí mismo. Mientras que aquellos que no se saben gobernar están condenados a encontrar quién los gobierne.

Staying Free of Destructive Relationships

After all, what is ''a man'' nowadays? Somebody who stands alone, independent of all ties.

You can't make someone else do anything, even if you know you're right.

Nothing wrong with being single when you can do as you please without objection or complaint. The presence of the fur ball was icing on the cake.

Nothing wrong with being single when you can do as you please without objection or complaint.

The more we can reach out to our partners, the more separate and independent we can be.

The more we can reach out to our partners, the more separate and independent we can be. Although this flies in the face of our culture's creed of self-sufficiency, psychologist Brooke Feeney of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found exactly that in observations of 280 couples. Those who felt that their needs were accepted by their partners were more confident about solving problems on their own and were more likely to successfully achieve their own goals.

Spouses depending on each other too much was what wrecked marriages!

How could I choose someone who would force me to give up my own small reach for meaning? I chose myself, and without consolation.

Every girl comes into the world with varying degrees of ambition," she said, "even if it's only the hope of not belonging body and soul to her husband.

All my life, in nameless, indeterminate ways, I'd tried to complete my life with someone else--first my father, then Hugh, even Whit, and I didn't want that anymore. I wanted to belong to myself.

It was unthinkable. Unmarried daughters didn't go off to live unprotected on their own in a foreign place. They lived at home with their mothers, and when there was no mother, with their sisters, and when there were no sisters, with their brothers.