--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Toni Morrison said, \"The function of…" description: "\"Toni Morrison said, \"The function of freedom is to free someone else,\" and if you are no longer wracked or in bondage to a person or a way of life, tel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/anne-lamott-188_bondage_toni-morrison-said-the-function-of-freed_1346282.png" --- # Toni Morrison said, "The function of freedom is to free… ![“Toni Morrison said, "The function of freedom is to free someone else," and if you are no longer wracked or in bondage to a person or a way of life, tell your story. Risk freeing someone else. Not everyone will be glad that you did. Members of your family and other critics may wish you had kept…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/anne-lamott-188_bondage_toni-morrison-said-the-function-of-freed_1346282.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/anne-lamott-188_bondage_toni-morrison-said-the-function-of-freed_1346282.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/anne-lamott-188_bondage_toni-morrison-said-the-function-of-freed_1346282.png) > “Toni Morrison said, "The function of freedom is to free someone else," and if you are no longer wracked or in bondage to a person or a way of life, tell your story. Risk freeing someone else. Not everyone will be glad that you did. Members of your family and other critics may wish you had kept your secrets. Oh, well, what are you going to do?” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom's purpose is to enable us to liberate others; sharing one's story may risk backlash but can inspire. **In simple terms:** Freedom means helping others be free, even if it brings criticism. Key Takeaway Share your truth to empower others. Themes freedom storytelling responsibility Mood hopeful determined Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - writing memoirs - public speaking - activism - family discussions Key Concepts ethical altruism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you holding back? - How might your story help someone else? A Different Perspective Not everyone will accept your truth; some may feel threatened. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bondage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage/) [Bondage Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage-person-2112052/) [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-free/) [Freeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freeing/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-freedom-4563394/) [Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Oh well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oh-well/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toni-morrison/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [The function of freedom is to free someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/the-function-of-freedom-is-to-free-someone-else/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Living off others is a form of bondage—for if you take from a person his responsibility to care for himself, you also take from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-c-taylor/living-off-others-is-a-form-of-bondage-for-if-you-take-from-a-person/) [Cameron C. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-c-taylor/) > [“When someone finds his or her mind is not free or in mental bondage, such a person might as well not be free physically.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-someone-finds-his-or-her-mind-is-not-free-or-in-mental-bondage/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Here are the two best prayers I know: 'Help me, help me, help me,' and 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' A woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/here-are-the-two-best-prayers-i-know-help-me-help-me-help-me-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I take inspiration from books, movies, television, music - it all goes in the hopper. Depending on the project, I'm drawing from this or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-take-inspiration-from-books-movies-television-music-it-all-goes-in/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I was allowed to write about race using an elevator metaphor because of Toni Morrison and David Bradley and Ralph Ellison. Hopefully, me being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-was-allowed-to-write-about-race-using-an-elevator-metaphor-because/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I read 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison in college, and it just blew my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamila-woods/i-read-song-of-solomon-by-toni-morrison-in-college-and-it-just-blew/) [Jamila Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamila-woods/) > [“Responding to Wright’s critique, Hurston claimed that she had wanted at long last to write a black novel, and “not a treatise on sociology.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/responding-to-wright-s-critique-hurston-claimed-that-she-had-wanted/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I'm a huge fan of Toni Morrison. I just think she's so incredible. And also Nayyirah Waheed, who's a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amandla-stenberg/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-toni-morrison-i-just-think-she-s-so-incredible-and/) [Amandla Stenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amandla-stenberg/) > [I took a couple of creative writing classes with Joyce Carol Oates at Princeton University, and in my senior year there, I took a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-took-a-couple-of-creative-writing-classes-with-joyce-carol-oates-at/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/toni-morrison-s-the-bluest-eye/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Even Toni Morrison claiming Bill Clinton as 'black' could not prepare us for the election of America's first undeniably black president, Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-young/even-toni-morrison-claiming-bill-clinton-as-black-could-not-prepare/) [Kevin Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-young/) > [The ones that were relevant while I wrote my book were books like "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, which is based on a historical fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-lalami/the-ones-that-were-relevant-while-i-wrote-my-book-were-books-like/) [Laila Lalami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-lalami/) > [“There in the dark her memory was refreshed, and she succumbed to her earlier dreams. Along with the idea of romantic love, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-dark-her-memory-was-refreshed-and-she-succumbed-to-her/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I still love Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver and Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-still-love-carson-mccullers-and-raymond-carver-and-toni-morrison/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Bondage quotes > [Just a decade after 'Living in Bondage,' Nollywood films, made in some 300 languages, were being watched in both urban and rural areas, distributed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-flock/just-a-decade-after-living-in-bondage-nollywood-films-made-in-some/) [Elizabeth Flock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-flock/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Too long have the workers of the world waited for some Moses to lead them out of bondage. I would not lead you out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/too-long-have-the-workers-of-the-world-waited-for-some-moses-to-lead/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: "God, preserve my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/if-we-do-not-abide-in-prayer-we-will-abide-in-temptation-let-this-be/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/according-to-jains-the-soul-in-pure-form-has-infiniteness-in-terms-of/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [“This is a disturbing fetish, Vin," he says, coming up for air. "Why can't you be into bondage like everyone else?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-manning/this-is-a-disturbing-fetish-vin-he-says-coming-up-for-air-why-can-t/) [Edmond Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-manning/) > [Advanced meditators are not even desirous of liberation anymore - that is just another attachment. There is no liberation. There is no bondage. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/advanced-meditators-are-not-even-desirous-of-liberation-anymore-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Slavery is slavery. The chain of gold is quite as bad as the chain of iron. Is there a way out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/slavery-is-slavery-the-chain-of-gold-is-quite-as-bad-as-the-chain-of/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Woman has so long been subject to the disabilities and restrictions with which her progress has been embarrassed that she has become enervated, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/woman-has-so-long-been-subject-to-the-disabilities-and-restrictions/) [Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/) > [To my mind, the main reason for the Depression in the United States as a whole, is the bondage of debt and the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-j-grant/to-my-mind-the-main-reason-for-the-depression-in-the-united-states-as/) [Heber J. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-j-grant/) > [Our life is a reflection of what we believe we deserve. As we deepen our acceptance of and open ourselves to the Infinite love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/our-life-is-a-reflection-of-what-we-believe-we-deserve-as-we-deepen/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [Being aware of the bondage is enough to free you from its clutches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/being-aware-of-the-bondage-is-enough-to-free-you-from-its-clutches/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [You see, money to you means freedom; to me it means bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-see-money-to-you-means-freedom-to-me-it-means-bondage/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 550 Bondage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bondage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Toni Morrison said, \"The function of freedom is to free someone else,\" and if you are no longer wracked or in bondage to a person or a way of life, tell your story. 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