--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing to take a man’s freedom…" description: "\"There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men.\" — Ayn Rand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg" --- # There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him… ![“There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg) > “There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men.” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom can only be threatened by other people, not by abstract forces. **In simple terms:** Only other people can take freedom away. Key Takeaway Guard against coercion from others. Themes politics freedom ethics Mood serious assertive Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political activism - legal rights - personal boundaries Key Concepts libertarianism human rights Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your freedom in daily life? - What responsibilities accompany personal freedom? A Different Perspective Freedom also depends on societal structures and laws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anthem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthem/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men (pg. 101).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom-away-from-him-save-other-men/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The emphasis to-day is being put on the fact that we have to save men; we have not. We have to exalt the Saviour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-emphasis-to-day-is-being-put-on-the-fact-that-we-have-to-save-men/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“I often wondered why men will risk almost certain death in an attempt to save other men. I decided it was because men will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/i-often-wondered-why-men-will-risk-almost-certain-death-in-an-attempt/) [Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/) > [Nothing but religious faith has been able to save men from despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-b-brown/nothing-but-religious-faith-has-been-able-to-save-men-from-despair/) [Hugh B. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-b-brown/) > [If it were Christ's intention to save all men, how deplorably He has been disappointed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/if-it-were-christ-s-intention-to-save-all-men-how-deplorably-he-has/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Remember that rights are moral principles which define and protect a man's freedom of action, but impose no obligations on other men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/remember-that-rights-are-moral-principles-which-define-and-protect-a/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [These are the things before me. And as I stand here at the door of glory, I look behind me for the last time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/these-are-the-things-before-me-and-as-i-stand-here-at-the-door-of/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/but-what-is-freedom-freedom-from-what-there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“It was a long story and the spirt which moved it was the spirit of man's freedom. But what is freedom? Freedom from what?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/it-was-a-long-story-and-the-spirt-which-moved-it-was-the-spirit-of/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“If this is vise I want no virtue. ... I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my happiness needs no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-this-is-vise-i-want-no-virtue-i-know-what-happiness-is-possible-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Through all the darkness, through all the shame of which men are capable, the spirit of man will remain alive on this earth. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/through-all-the-darkness-through-all-the-shame-of-which-men-are/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [But I still wonder how it was possible, in those graceless years of transition, long ago, that men did not see whither they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/but-i-still-wonder-how-it-was-possible-in-those-graceless-years-of-2/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [ I got the idea \[for Anthem's theme\] in my school days, in Soviet Russia, when I heard all the vicious attacks on individualism, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-got-the-idea-for-anthem-s-theme-in-my-school-days-in-soviet-russia/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [In the temple of his spirit, each man is alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/in-the-temple-of-his-spirit-each-man-is-alone/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More Anthem quotes > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [I was in the recording studio when Pink was recording for a part of the gay rights anthem. It was just amazing to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/i-was-in-the-recording-studio-when-pink-was-recording-for-a-part-of/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“The shortest national anthem in the world is the Japanese one, which only consists of four lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/the-shortest-national-anthem-in-the-world-is-the-japanese-one-which/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [People who tend to listen to my music have come back and said, 'Yo, this is my anthem. This is what I live by.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/people-who-tend-to-listen-to-my-music-have-come-back-and-said-yo-this/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [Colin Kaepernick is the latest professional athlete to spark a national debate about the meaning behind the American flag and the national anthem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/colin-kaepernick-is-the-latest-professional-athlete-to-spark-a/) Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf > [All of us ... should remember that no amount of flag-waving, pledging allegiance, or fervent singing of the national anthem is evidence that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-of-us-should-remember-that-no-amount-of-flag-waving-pledging/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I had a gig in Sweden. There were thousands of people there, and when I launched into 'I'm Yours,' they were all singing along.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-had-a-gig-in-sweden-there-were-thousands-of-people-there-and-when-i/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [When you hear the Champions League anthem, it gives you goosebumps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casemiro/when-you-hear-the-champions-league-anthem-it-gives-you-goosebumps/) [Casemiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casemiro/) > [GIRLS NATIONAL ANTHEM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-nelson/girls-national-anthem/) Jerome Nelson > [Written in support of abolishing the Corn Laws, it became Elliott's most famous poem. The Peoples Anthem When wilt thou save the people Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebenezer-elliott/written-in-support-of-abolishing-the-corn-laws-it-became-elliott-s/) [Ebenezer Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebenezer-elliott/) > [I sing the National Anthem, while I'm standing, over your body, hold you like a python.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-sing-the-national-anthem-while-i-m-standing-over-your-body-hold-you/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [I came from a military family, so there are a lot of things I think about when the anthem is playing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-doolittle/i-came-from-a-military-family-so-there-are-a-lot-of-things-i-think/) [Sean Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-doolittle/) > [Who can I marry? Where can I live? What kind of career can I achieve? These are just some of the stories breaking with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-britting/who-can-i-marry-where-can-i-live-what-kind-of-career-can-i-achieve/) [Jeff Britting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-britting/) [Browse all 219 Anthem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anthem/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom-away-from-him-save-other-men-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anthem" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom-away-from-him-save-other-men-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/ayn-rand-59_anthem_there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom_1609972.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is nothing to take a man’s freedom away from him, save other men.” — Ayn Rand", "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": "Ayn Rand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is nothing to take a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom-away-from-him-save-other-men-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-is-nothing-to-take-a-man-s-freedom-away-from-him-save-other-men-2/#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 } } ] } ```