---
title: "1 Totalitarian Society Quotes By Michael Polanyi"
description: "1 Totalitarian Society quotes by Michael Polanyi. Plus more from Michael Polanyi and more Totalitarian Society sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg"
---

> [A free society is regarded as one that does not engage, on principle, in attempting to control what people find meaningful, and a totalitarian society is regarded as one that does, on principle, attempt such control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-does-not-engage-on-principle/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg)

## More by Michael Polanyi

> [These maxims and the art of interpreting them may be said to constitute the premisses of science but I prefer to call them our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/these-maxims-and-the-art-of-interpreting-them-may-be-said-to/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [We could not, for example, arrive at a principle like that of entropy without introducing some additional principle, such as randomness, to this topography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/we-could-not-for-example-arrive-at-a-principle-like-that-of-entropy/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [“A steady recognition that the evils which prevent the fullness of moral development are precisely the elements which are also the source of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/a-steady-recognition-that-the-evils-which-prevent-the-fullness-of/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [“Christianity sedulously fosters, and in a sense permanently satisfies, man's craving for mental dissatisfaction by offering him the comfort of a crucified God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/christianity-sedulously-fosters-and-in-a-sense-permanently-satisfies/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [Of course language manifests a belief only if we use its words with the implied acceptance of their appositeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/of-course-language-manifests-a-belief-only-if-we-use-its-words-with/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [The first thing to make clear is that scientists, freely making their own choice of problems and pursuing them in the light of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/the-first-thing-to-make-clear-is-that-scientists-freely-making-their/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [The information in DNA could no more be reduced to the chemical than could the ideas in a book be reduced to the ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/the-information-in-dna-could-no-more-be-reduced-to-the-chemical-than/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [“Sartre puts it, value arises simply from our choices. What we choose, we value simply because we have chosen it (and apparently we remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/sartre-puts-it-value-arises-simply-from-our-choices-what-we-choose-we/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [I shall reconsider human knowledge by starting from the fact that we can know more than we can tell,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/i-shall-reconsider-human-knowledge-by-starting-from-the-fact-that-we/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [The amount of knowledge which we can justify from evidence directly available to us can never be large. The overwhelming proportion of our factual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/the-amount-of-knowledge-which-we-can-justify-from-evidence-directly/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [Admittedly, the body of scientists, as a whole, does uphold the authority of science over the lay public. It controls thereby also the process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/admittedly-the-body-of-scientists-as-a-whole-does-uphold-the/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [“It was the merit of Gestalt psychology to make us aware of the remarkable performance involved in perceiving shapes. Take, for example, a ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/it-was-the-merit-of-gestalt-psychology-to-make-us-aware-of-the/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [We know more than we can tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/we-know-more-than-we-can-tell/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [We cannot ultimately specify the grounds (either metaphysical or logical or empirical) upon which we hold that our knowledge is true. Being committed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/we-cannot-ultimately-specify-the-grounds-either-metaphysical-or/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

> [The process of philosophic and scientific enlightenment has shaken the stability of beliefs held explicitly as articles of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/the-process-of-philosophic-and-scientific-enlightenment-has-shaken/)

[Michael Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-polanyi/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/#itemlist",
            "name": "1 Totalitarian Society Quotes By Michael Polanyi",
            "numberOfItems": 1,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "A free society is regarded as one that does not engage, on principle, in attempting to control what people find meaningful, and a totalitarian society is regarded as one that does, on principle, attempt such control.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Michael Polanyi"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-polanyi/a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-does-not-engage-on-principle/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“A free society is regarded as one that does not engage, on principle, in attempting to control what people…” — Michael Polanyi",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/",
            "name": "Totalitarian Society Quotes by Michael Polanyi",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd8/michael-polanyi-17316_attempting_a-free-society-is-regarded-as-one-that-d_1958962.jpg"
            },
            "description": "1 Totalitarian Society quotes by Michael Polanyi. Plus more from Michael Polanyi and more Totalitarian Society sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Totalitarian Society",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Michael Polanyi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian-society/michael-polanyi/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```