--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We want autonomy for ourselves and safety…" description: "\"“We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.”\" — Atul Gawande" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png" --- # We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love. ![“We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.” quote by Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png) > ““We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.”” [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We desire personal freedom while also needing safety for loved ones; both are essential societal goals. **In simple terms:** We want freedom and safety. Key Takeaway Balance autonomy with protection. Themes autonomy security family ethics Mood concerned analytical Type ethical practical When to use this quote - healthcare decisions - parenting - community planning Key Concepts public policy risk management human rights Questions to Reflect On - What trade‑offs exist between freedom and safety? - How do you protect loved ones responsibly? A Different Perspective Excessive autonomy can jeopardize collective safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [“If you want more autonomy, why not code autonomy into the system?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/if-you-want-more-autonomy-why-not-code-autonomy-into-the-system/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [“But at this moment, for me, family equals safety; Burn equals safety; love equals safety. And if I trust my heart, my instincts, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-mcgowan/but-at-this-moment-for-me-family-equals-safety-burn-equals-safety/) Maureen McGowan > [I don't go around straightening pictures or anything like that, but I do obsess about the safety of those I love, particularly the kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/i-don-t-go-around-straightening-pictures-or-anything-like-that-but-i/) [Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/) > [I felt like I needed to reassure people in the safety of love and community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-marley/i-felt-like-i-needed-to-reassure-people-in-the-safety-of-love-and/) [Skip Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-marley/) > [There's no safety in love. You risk the whole of life. But the great thing is to risk -to believe, and to risk everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/there-s-no-safety-in-love-you-risk-the-whole-of-life-but-the-great/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > […there was no more safety to be found in love than there was to be found in a virus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-was-no-more-safety-to-be-found-in-love-than-there-was-to-be/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“When safety becomes our god, we worship the risk-free life. Can the safety lover do anything great? Can the risk-averse accomplish noble deeds? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-safety-becomes-our-god-we-worship-the-risk-free-life-can-the/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [safety and love are both illusions!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/safety-and-love-are-both-illusions/) [Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/) > [“The value of autonomy … lies in the scheme of responsibility it creates: autonomy makes each of us responsible for shaping his own life according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-value-of-autonomy-lies-in-the-scheme-of-responsibility-it-creates/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“I am leery of suggesting the idea that endings are controllable. No one ever really has control. Physics and biology and accident ultimately have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-am-leery-of-suggesting-the-idea-that-endings-are-controllable-no/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“The idea of autonomy denies that we are born into a world that existed prior to us. It posits an essential aloneness; an autonomous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/the-idea-of-autonomy-denies-that-we-are-born-into-a-world-that/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) ## More by Atul Gawande > [Don’t let yourself be. Find something new to try, something to change. Count how often it succeeds and how often it doesn’t. Write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/don-t-let-yourself-be-find-something-new-to-try-something-to-change/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“Wilson spent several days camped out in one government office after another until she had secured an exemption. Unbelievably, she and her husband cleared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/wilson-spent-several-days-camped-out-in-one-government-office-after/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [What is needed, however, isn't just that people working together be nice to each other. It is discipline. Discipline is hard--harder than trustworthiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/what-is-needed-however-isn-t-just-that-people-working-together-be/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“8. Chapter 4 describes the birth of the assisted-living facility concept (Park Place), designed by Keren Wilson to provide her disabled mother, Jessie, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/8-chapter-4-describes-the-birth-of-the-assisted-living-facility/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [My biggest fear, that 27 percent of Americans under 65 have an existing health condition that, without the protections of the Affordable Care Act,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/my-biggest-fear-that-27-percent-of-americans-under-65-have-an/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“..how we seek to spend our time may depend on how much time we perceive ourselves to have. When you are young and healthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/how-we-seek-to-spend-our-time-may-depend-on-how-much-time-we-perceive/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“I cannot pretend he escaped unscathed. The extended period of low blood pressure damaged an optic nerve and left him essentially blind in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/i-cannot-pretend-he-escaped-unscathed-the-extended-period-of-low/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [The battle of being mortal is the battle to maintain the integrity of one’s life,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/the-battle-of-being-mortal-is-the-battle-to-maintain-the-integrity-of/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“an average of $94,000 during the last year of life with a metastatic breast cancer. Our medical system is excellent at trying to stave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/an-average-of-94-000-during-the-last-year-of-life-with-a-metastatic/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“we need practice to get good at what we do. There is one difference in medicine, though: it is people we practice upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-need-practice-to-get-good-at-what-we-do-there-is-one-difference-in/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [People underestimate the importance of dilligence as a virtue. No doubt it has something to do with how supremely mundane it seems. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/people-underestimate-the-importance-of-dilligence-as-a-virtue-no/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Developing a skill is painful, though. It is difficult. And that's part of the satisfaction. You will only find meaning in what you struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/developing-a-skill-is-painful-though-it-is-difficult-and-that-s-part/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [Just look at the list of who the lowest-paid people are. Pediatricians are at the bottom. You would also look at internists. You would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/just-look-at-the-list-of-who-the-lowest-paid-people-are-pediatricians/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [“When Felix came to this crossroads, the orthopedic shoe to drop wasn’t his. It was Bella’s. Year by year, I witnessed the progression in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-felix-came-to-this-crossroads-the-orthopedic-shoe-to-drop-wasn-t/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) [Explore all 200 Atul Gawande quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) ## More Autonomy quotes > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [“The idea of autonomy denies that we are born into a world that existed prior to us. It posits an essential aloneness; an autonomous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/the-idea-of-autonomy-denies-that-we-are-born-into-a-world-that/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [Autonomy is impossible as long as one is driven by anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/autonomy-is-impossible-as-long-as-one-is-driven-by-anything/) [Gabor Mate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/we-could-encourage-the-best-qualities-of-youthfulness-curiosity/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [“She isn't anybody's,' Rook said darkly. 'Son. she's not yours, either," Sarah Fleet said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaida-jones/she-isn-t-anybody-s-rook-said-darkly-son-she-s-not-yours-either-sarah/) [Jaida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaida-jones/) > [The Palestinian Arabs will have their autonomy, we will have our security. We shall live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/the-palestinian-arabs-will-have-their-autonomy-we-will-have-our/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [Autonomy means women defining themselves and the values by which they will live, and beginning to think of institutional arrangements which will order their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/autonomy-means-women-defining-themselves-and-the-values-by-which-they/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [“Autonomous people assert themselves against the status quo. They don't accept the prevailing opinion just because it's the one given to them. Nothing creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brito/autonomous-people-assert-themselves-against-the-status-quo-they-don-t/) Maria Brito > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [The civil magistrate cannot function without some ethical guidance, without some standard of good and evil. If that standard is not to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-civil-magistrate-cannot-function-without-some-ethical-guidance/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Who hath desires must ever fearful be; Who lives in fear cannot be counted free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burton/who-hath-desires-must-ever-fearful-be-who-lives-in-fear-cannot-be/) [Robert Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burton/) [Browse all 418 Autonomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Atul Gawande" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safety-for-those-we-love/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Autonomy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safety-for-those-we-love/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70c/atul-gawande-1871_autonomy_we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safet_2889981.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We want autonomy for ourselves and safety for those we love.” — Atul Gawande", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Atul Gawande", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We want autonomy for ourselves and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safety-for-those-we-love/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/we-want-autonomy-for-ourselves-and-safety-for-those-we-love/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```