--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You will not make a man wiser by taking…" description: "\"You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action from him. A man can only learn when he is free to act.\" — Auberon Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/auberon-herbert-28820_act_you-will-not-make-a-man-wiser-by-taking_1573593.jpg" --- # You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action… ![“You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action from him. A man can only learn when he is free to act.” quote by Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/auberon-herbert-28820_act_you-will-not-make-a-man-wiser-by-taking_1573593.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/auberon-herbert-28820_act_you-will-not-make-a-man-wiser-by-taking_1573593.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/auberon-herbert-28820_act_you-will-not-make-a-man-wiser-by-taking_1573593.jpg) > “You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action from him. A man can only learn when he is free to act.” [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom to act is essential for learning; removing it prevents wisdom, implying that autonomy is the foundation of personal development. **In simple terms:** Freedom enables learning. Key Takeaway Protect autonomy. Themes freedom learning wisdom autonomy politics Mood reflective analytical serious Type philosophical political educational When to use this quote - parenting - education policy - self‑directed projects - workplace empowerment Key Concepts libertarianism education theory human nature Questions to Reflect On - When does guidance aid learning? - How much autonomy is optimal? A Different Perspective Too much freedom can cause chaos without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/) [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Free Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-act-1196935/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-action-2424848/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/him/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Man Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-learn/) [Man Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-wiser-334914/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser/) [Wiser Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser-taking-3876111/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [“Older & Wiser?…Older is the easy part. Wiser seems to be taking some effort:(”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-ferrara/older-wiser-older-is-the-easy-part-wiser-seems-to-be-taking-some/) [Tricia Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-ferrara/) > [How can an act done under compulsion have any moral element in it, seeing that what is moral is the free act of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/how-can-an-act-done-under-compulsion-have-any-moral-element-in-it/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [No man is the wiser for his learning; it may administer matter to work in, or objects to work upon; but wit and wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/no-man-is-the-wiser-for-his-learning-it-may-administer-matter-to-work/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“Is man wiser than his Maker?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-man-wiser-than-his-maker/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I am not the same man I was 35 years ago. And I hope that five years and ten years from now, I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/i-am-not-the-same-man-i-was-35-years-ago-and-i-hope-that-five-years/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [I hope that five years and ten years from now, I'll be a better man, a more mature man, a wiser man, a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/i-hope-that-five-years-and-ten-years-from-now-i-ll-be-a-better-man-a/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) > [Traveling makes a man wiser, but less happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/traveling-makes-a-man-wiser-but-less-happy/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [No man is the wiser for his learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/no-man-is-the-wiser-for-his-learning/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“Faith has to come to birth as a free act, not a forced one. Otherwise it has no meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/faith-has-to-come-to-birth-as-a-free-act-not-a-forced-one-otherwise/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [“He was free, free for everything, free to act like an animal or like a machine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre-2/he-was-free-free-for-everything-free-to-act-like-an-animal-or-like-a/) [Jean Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre-2/) > [All the world is full of inscapeand chance left free to act falls into an order as well as purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/all-the-world-is-full-of-inscapeand-chance-left-free-to-act-falls/) [Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/) > [God gave us our agency. He taught us a way. He showed us what to do. But he gave us our agency and left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/god-gave-us-our-agency-he-taught-us-a-way-he-showed-us-what-to-do-but/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [All the world is full of inscape and chance left free to act falls into an order as well as purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/all-the-world-is-full-of-inscape-and-chance-left-free-to-act-falls/) [Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/) > [the touchstone of a free act - from the decision to get out of bed in the morning or take a walk in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-touchstone-of-a-free-act-from-the-decision-to-get-out-of-bed-in/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [Every age and generation must be as free to act for itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/every-age-and-generation-must-be-as-free-to-act-for-itself/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## More by Auberon Herbert > [If we cannot by reason, by influence, by example, by strenuous effort, and by personal sacrifice, mend the bad places of civilization, we certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-we-cannot-by-reason-by-influence-by-example-by-strenuous-effort/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [If government half a century ago had provided us with all our dinners and breakfasts, it would be the practice of our orators today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-government-half-a-century-ago-had-provided-us-with-all-our-dinners/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [And what sort of philosophical doctrine is thi - that numbers confer unlimited rights, that they take from some persons all rights over themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/and-what-sort-of-philosophical-doctrine-is-thi-that-numbers-confer/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [We hold that what one man cannot morally do, a million men cannot morally do, and government, representing many millions of men, cannot do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/we-hold-that-what-one-man-cannot-morally-do-a-million-men-cannot/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [“By what right do men exercise power over each other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/by-what-right-do-men-exercise-power-over-each-other/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want to do, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-career-of-a-politician-mainly-consists-in-making-one-part-of-the/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [If you tie a man's hands there is nothing moral about his not committing murder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/if-you-tie-a-man-s-hands-there-is-nothing-moral-about-his-not/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [Deny human rights, and however little you may wish to do so, you will find yourself abjectly kneeling at the feet of that old-world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/deny-human-rights-and-however-little-you-may-wish-to-do-so-you-will/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [How, then, can the rights of three men exceed the rights of two men? In what possible way can the rights of three men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/how-then-can-the-rights-of-three-men-exceed-the-rights-of-two-men-in/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [The ruling idea of the politician - stated rather bluntly - is that those who are opposed to him exist for the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-ruling-idea-of-the-politician-stated-rather-bluntly-is-that-those/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [Every tax or rate, forcibly taken from an unwilling person, is immoral and oppressive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/every-tax-or-rate-forcibly-taken-from-an-unwilling-person-is-immoral/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [The course that will restore to the workmen a father's duties and responsibilities, between which and themselves the state has now stepped, is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/the-course-that-will-restore-to-the-workmen-a-father-s-duties-and/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [It is the small owner who offers the only really profitable and reliable material for taxation. He is made for taxation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/it-is-the-small-owner-who-offers-the-only-really-profitable-and/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [There never yet has been a great system sustained by force under which all the best faculties of men have not slowly withered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/there-never-yet-has-been-a-great-system-sustained-by-force-under/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) > [Do you not see, first, that - as a mental abstract - physical force is directly opposed to morality; and secondly, that it practically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-herbert/do-you-not-see-first-that-as-a-mental-abstract-physical-force-is/) [Auberon Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) [Explore all 19 Auberon Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-herbert/) ## More Act quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [Teachers' unions don't act in the interest of most teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sal-khan/teachers-unions-don-t-act-in-the-interest-of-most-teachers/) [Sal Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sal-khan/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [People take years learning how to act; it's a skill, not just a job. If I tried it out and thought I'd be OK,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/people-take-years-learning-how-to-act-it-s-a-skill-not-just-a-job-if/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It require you to connect today's actions to tomorrow's results. There's a season for sowing a season for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-ryan-blair/self-discipline-is-an-act-of-cultivation-it-require-you-to-connect/) [Gary Ryan Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-ryan-blair/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) [Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/) > [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [I have no interest in watching myself act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wesley/i-have-no-interest-in-watching-myself-act/) [Paul Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wesley/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I do believe some people can naturally act and don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-arnold/i-do-believe-some-people-can-naturally-act-and-don-t-know-it/) [Andrea Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-arnold/) > [Regardless of what I do, whether I write a book or whether I act or whether I host, I'll always do stand-up comedy because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-mandel/regardless-of-what-i-do-whether-i-write-a-book-or-whether-i-act-or/) [Howie Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-mandel/) > [On 'Workaholics,' I feel like I'm just hanging out with my buddies being filmed, but on 'Mindy,' I'm around professional funny people who act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-holm/on-workaholics-i-feel-like-i-m-just-hanging-out-with-my-buddies-being/) [Anders Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-holm/) > [I'm not an artist, and I want to take risks, and when the possibility of failure occurs, it's because the idea is all exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/i-m-not-an-artist-and-i-want-to-take-risks-and-when-the-possibility/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [I don't have a huge amount of gear, but on the software side, I have a number of plug-in chains that act as abstracted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hopkins/i-don-t-have-a-huge-amount-of-gear-but-on-the-software-side-i-have-a/) [Jon Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hopkins/) > [I honestly didn't know that I wanted to act until I was probably 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-rae-mayo/i-honestly-didn-t-know-that-i-wanted-to-act-until-i-was-probably-12/) [Miranda Rae Mayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-rae-mayo/) [Browse all 1,802 Act quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom of action from him. 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