--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was intelligent enough to make up my…" description: "\"I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. I not only had freedom of choice, I had freedom of expression.\" — Amy Tan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/amy-tan-730_choices_i-was-intelligent-enough-to-make-up-my-o_2425047.jpg" --- # I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. I not… ![“I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. I not only had freedom of choice, I had freedom of expression.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/amy-tan-730_choices_i-was-intelligent-enough-to-make-up-my-o_2425047.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/amy-tan-730_choices_i-was-intelligent-enough-to-make-up-my-o_2425047.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/amy-tan-730_choices_i-was-intelligent-enough-to-make-up-my-o_2425047.jpg) > “I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. I not only had freedom of choice, I had freedom of expression.” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person who can think independently and speak freely possesses true autonomy. **In simple terms:** Independent thought and free speech give real freedom. Key Takeaway Value and protect your mental independence. Themes independence freedom self‑reliance Mood reflective empowering Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - making career decisions - writing - public speaking - advocating ideas Key Concepts personal autonomy expression critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your thoughts remain your own? - What barriers limit your expression? A Different Perspective Freedom can be limited by social pressures or censorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choice Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice-freedom-484105/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-choice/) [Freedom Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-expression/) [Freedom of choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-choice/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-freedom/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Because to take away a man's freedom of choice, even his freedom to make the wrong choice, is to manipulate him as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-to-take-away-a-man-s-freedom-of-choice-even-his-freedom-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is the freedom of choice. The freedom to choose where to live, what to do, what to buy, what to sell, from whom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleni-zaude-gabre-madhin/happiness-is-the-freedom-of-choice-the-freedom-to-choose-where-to/) [Eleni Zaude Gabre-Madhin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleni-zaude-gabre-madhin/) > [I do believe in choice, the freedom of choice and carving out your own happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-do-believe-in-choice-the-freedom-of-choice-and-carving-out-your-own/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [My gift to you will be to take away your freedom of choice for a while. Freedom can be very unhealthy and unproductive. Instead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-filipacchi/my-gift-to-you-will-be-to-take-away-your-freedom-of-choice-for-a/) [Amanda Filipacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-filipacchi/) > [Choice or freedom of choice is just an existential concern. But for photographers, it's a lifetime's preoccupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/choice-or-freedom-of-choice-is-just-an-existential-concern-but-for/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [“Watts said that real freedom was not freedom of choice but freedom from choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-friedman/watts-said-that-real-freedom-was-not-freedom-of-choice-but-freedom/) [Gil Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-friedman/) > [I have a free voice. I have a free mind. I have freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-have-a-free-voice-i-have-a-free-mind-i-have-freedom-of-expression/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/that-which-you-call-your-soul-or-spirit-is-your-consciousness-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is not a choice. . Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/freedom-is-not-a-reaction-freedom-is-not-a-choice-freedom-is-found-in/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“A Poem By Maximum Ride How does one describe freedom, How can one call themselves free, How does one sleep at night knowing all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/a-poem-by-maximum-ride-how-does-one-describe-freedom-how-can-one-call/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Sexual freedom is about choice. It's the freedom to say no as well as yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-b-rubin/sexual-freedom-is-about-choice-it-s-the-freedom-to-say-no-as-well-as/) [Lillian B. Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-b-rubin/) > [Without freedom of choice, there is no creativity. Without creativity, there is no life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/without-freedom-of-choice-there-is-no-creativity-without-creativity/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [We need the children of Indonesia and the Philippines to manufacture our freedom of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/we-need-the-children-of-indonesia-and-the-philippines-to-manufacture/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [We owe this freedom of choice and action to those men and women in uniform who have served this nation and its interests in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-owe-this-freedom-of-choice-and-action-to-those-men-and-women-in/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Choices quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) [Alison James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-james/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/movies-have-power-power-to-impact-society-and-the-choices-we-make-i/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was intelligent enough to make up my own mind. 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