--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Up here [in space], you're free. Really…" description: "\"Up here [in space], you're free. Really free, for the first time in your life. All the laws and rules and prejudices they've been dumping on you all yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/ben-bova-26822_astronaut_up-here-in-space-you-re-free-really-free_819143.jpg" --- # Up here \[in space\], you're free. Really free, for the… ![“Up here [in space], you're free. Really free, for the first time in your life. All the laws and rules and prejudices they've been dumping on you all your life . . . they're all down there. Up here it's a new start. You can be yourself and do your own thing . . . and nobody can tell you different.” quote by Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/ben-bova-26822_astronaut_up-here-in-space-you-re-free-really-free_819143.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/ben-bova-26822_astronaut_up-here-in-space-you-re-free-really-free_819143.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/ben-bova-26822_astronaut_up-here-in-space-you-re-free-really-free_819143.jpg) > “Up here \[in space\], you're free. Really free, for the first time in your life. All the laws and rules and prejudices they've been dumping on you all your life . . . they're all down there. Up here it's a new start. You can be yourself and do your own thing . . . and nobody can tell you different.” [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In space, distance from Earth’s social constraints creates a sense of ultimate personal freedom and the chance to reinvent oneself. **In simple terms:** Space offers freedom from societal rules. Key Takeaway Embrace the freedom to be authentic. Themes freedom individualism reinvention Mood exhilarated reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative projects - career change - travel - spiritual exploration Key Concepts existentialism psychology of isolation Questions to Reflect On - How would you act if you felt truly free? - What responsibilities remain even in freedom? A Different Perspective Freedom may be limited by practical realities and responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronaut/) [Being yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [New start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-start/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-travel/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Traveler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traveler/) ## Related quotes > [I think the online space can be a free space, in that we are not reliant online on the publishing industry or readers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/i-think-the-online-space-can-be-a-free-space-in-that-we-are-not/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [You can't come in and invade people's personal space because of free speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-covington/you-can-t-come-in-and-invade-people-s-personal-space-because-of-free/) [Colby Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-covington/) > [Every actor has to find space where they are free, in order to do good work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-gyllenhaal/every-actor-has-to-find-space-where-they-are-free-in-order-to-do-good/) [Maggie Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-gyllenhaal/) > [“While sleeping, we’re free to be what we really are, nothing more, nothing less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/while-sleeping-we-re-free-to-be-what-we-really-are-nothing-more/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [Free is really, you know, the gift of Silicon Valley to the world. It's an economic force, it's a technical force. It's a deflationary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-anderson/free-is-really-you-know-the-gift-of-silicon-valley-to-the-world-it-s/) [Chris Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-anderson/) > [If you love something, set it free. 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If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-am-free-no-matter-what-rules-surround-me-if-i-find-them-tolerable-i-2/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Ben Bova > [ A new space race has begun, and most Americans are not even aware of it. This race is not \[about\] political prestige or military… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/a-new-space-race-has-begun-and-most-americans-are-not-even-aware-of/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [In science there is a dictum: don't add an experiment to an experiment. Don't make things unnecessarily complicated. In writing fiction, the more fantastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/in-science-there-is-a-dictum-don-t-add-an-experiment-to-an-experiment/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [Omni is not a science magazine. 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Largely for two reasons: there's no life there, and it is close enough and rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/i-think-it-s-perfectly-ok-to-exploit-the-moon-largely-for-two-reasons/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“A fanatic who is willing to die for his cause thinks nothing of killing you for his cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/a-fanatic-who-is-willing-to-die-for-his-cause-thinks-nothing-of/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [As long as we're tied to Middle Eastern oil we're tied to Middle Eastern politics. We're hostages to the terrorists and nutcases who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/as-long-as-we-re-tied-to-middle-eastern-oil-we-re-tied-to-middle/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“When we do this thing, we admit failure. We admit fear—yes, terror. We are terrified of a new idea, a new scientific discovery. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/when-we-do-this-thing-we-admit-failure-we-admit-fear-yes-terror-we/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [The Old Ones knew that life is not rare, but precious; not fragile, but vulnerable. Life is as deep as the seas in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/the-old-ones-knew-that-life-is-not-rare-but-precious-not-fragile-but/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [When I started understanding how science works, it occurred to me that there just is no evidence that there is a God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/when-i-started-understanding-how-science-works-it-occurred-to-me-that/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“My first sight of the fabled warrior was a surprise. He was not a mighty-thewed giant, like Ajax. His body was not broad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/my-first-sight-of-the-fabled-warrior-was-a-surprise-he-was-not-a/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [My first published novel was written for teenagers, and there were rules laid down by the publisher: no sex, no smoking, no swearing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/my-first-published-novel-was-written-for-teenagers-and-there-were/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [“There was precious little nobility in the features of the High King's fleshy face. 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