--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The genius of free human beings is that…" description: "\"“The genius of free human beings is that, given responsibility, they join together to take care of each other—to be their brothers’ keepers when their ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg" --- # The genius of free human beings is that, given… ![“The genius of free human beings is that, given responsibility, they join together to take care of each other—to be their brothers’ keepers when their brother needs help. The triumph of an earlier America was that it had set all the right trends in motion, at a time when the world was first coming…” quote by Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg) > ““The genius of free human beings is that, given responsibility, they join together to take care of each other—to be their brothers’ keepers when their brother needs help. The triumph of an earlier America was that it had set all the right trends in motion, at a time when the world was first coming out of millennia of poverty into an era of plenty. The tragedy of contemporary America is that it abandoned that course. Libertarians want to return to it.”” [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When people are given responsibility, they naturally support each other, a strength of earlier America; modern America has lost this, and libertarians aim to restore it. **In simple terms:** Responsibility fosters mutual care; this has declined. Key Takeaway Promote shared responsibility. Themes society responsibility libertarianism Mood reflective critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - community building - policy reform - grassroots initiatives - mutual aid programs Key Concepts social contract collective action Questions to Reflect On - How can societies encourage collective care? - What policies support shared responsibility? A Different Perspective Restoring responsibility may conflict with individualist values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemporary America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-america-656047/) [Course Libertarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/course-libertarians-2880619/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Libertarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarians/) [Libertarians Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarians-want-533811/) [Millennia Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millennia-poverty-2880620/) ## Related quotes > [Republicans don't want anyone having more fun than they do, and the Democrats don't want anyone making more money than they do. Libertarians want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/republicans-don-t-want-anyone-having-more-fun-than-they-do-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's the libertarians who want to reclaim decision-making for themselves. It's the small government folks who see government as a great Leviathan gobbling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/it-s-the-libertarians-who-want-to-reclaim-decision-making-for/) [Kathleen Troia McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/) > [Liberals want the government to be your Mommy. Conservatives want government to be your Daddy. Libertarians want it to treat you like an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-simpson/liberals-want-the-government-to-be-your-mommy-conservatives-want/) [Brandon Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-simpson/) > [I don't agree with the libertarians. I want my security first. I'll deal with all the details after that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-lott/i-don-t-agree-with-the-libertarians-i-want-my-security-first-i-ll/) [Trent Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-lott/) > [I want to make a series of films of contemporary America that feel urgent and deal with sometimes-topical matters, but hopefully in a universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-want-to-make-a-series-of-films-of-contemporary-america-that-feel/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Today's secular libertarians, who want to remove biblical religion from public life, have trouble making sense of the civil rights movement because it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-l-shelley/today-s-secular-libertarians-who-want-to-remove-biblical-religion/) [Bruce L. Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-l-shelley/) > [Conservatives want to be your daddy, telling you what to do and what not to do. Liberals want to be your mommy, feeding you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boaz/conservatives-want-to-be-your-daddy-telling-you-what-to-do-and-what/) [David Boaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boaz/) > [“Libertarianism used to have a robust left wing as well. Both disliked government. Both were driven by a fantastically nostalgic conviction that a country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/libertarianism-used-to-have-a-robust-left-wing-as-well-both-disliked/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [Libertarians are liberals who like markets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-wilkinson/libertarians-are-liberals-who-like-markets/) [Will Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-wilkinson/) > [A libertarian is a person who believes that no one has the right, under any circumstances, to initiate force against another human being, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/a-libertarian-is-a-person-who-believes-that-no-one-has-the-right/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [In order for an act to be a crime, libertarians say, someone must be harmed - there must be a victim. Anything that's peaceful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-banister/in-order-for-an-act-to-be-a-crime-libertarians-say-someone-must-be/) [Scott Banister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-banister/) > [As Barbara Streisand discovered, adopting a militaristic posture against a tech-savvy mob of civil libertarians is not going to be of much help: Many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/as-barbara-streisand-discovered-adopting-a-militaristic-posture/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Libertarians believe consenting adults have the right to do whatever they choose, except band together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/libertarians-believe-consenting-adults-have-the-right-to-do-whatever/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [“This reduction of 'society' to a thin membrane of interactions between private individuals is presented today as the ambition of libertarians and free marketeers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/this-reduction-of-society-to-a-thin-membrane-of-interactions-between/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) ## More by Charles Murray > [People are starting to notice the great divide. The Tea party sees the aloofness in a political elite that thinks it knows best and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/people-are-starting-to-notice-the-great-divide-the-tea-party-sees-the/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-can-learn-a-lot-about-good-management-by-working-under-someone/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [I want to keep the government out of the business of giving incentives to have or not have kids, or incentives to marry or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/i-want-to-keep-the-government-out-of-the-business-of-giving/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [You know, there is an image of me out there for which advocacy of a universal basic income is inconsistent. It doesn't fit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-know-there-is-an-image-of-me-out-there-for-which-advocacy-of-a/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [White supremacist? Let's see: if you have a guy who was married for 13 years to an Asian woman and who has two lovely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/white-supremacist-let-s-see-if-you-have-a-guy-who-was-married-for-13/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [When America installs a minimum income, it's going to be doing it in a very different historical context than Switzerland or Sweden or Germany,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/when-america-installs-a-minimum-income-it-s-going-to-be-doing-it-in-a/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [It takes a lot of courage, self-confidence, and stubbornness to be an openly committed Christian - or openly committed to any of the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/it-takes-a-lot-of-courage-self-confidence-and-stubbornness-to-be-an/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [By the end of writing 'Losing Ground,' I realized I was a libertarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/by-the-end-of-writing-losing-ground-i-realized-i-was-a-libertarian/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [Don't argue that you can't find a job that pays enough to support yourself. You can. You just can't find a job that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/don-t-argue-that-you-can-t-find-a-job-that-pays-enough-to-support/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [Trumpism' is the expression by the white working class of a lot of legitimate grievances that it has with the ruling class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/trumpism-is-the-expression-by-the-white-working-class-of-a-lot-of/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [“Joan played den mother to the rebirth of American individualism. That she filled that role for so many is why I am grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/joan-played-den-mother-to-the-rebirth-of-american-individualism-that/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [No woman has been a significant original thinker in any of the world's great philosophical traditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/no-woman-has-been-a-significant-original-thinker-in-any-of-the-world/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [“Four American traits were central to the evolution of that culture: industriousness, egalitarianism, religiosity, and an amalgam of philanthropy and volunteerism that was uniquely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/four-american-traits-were-central-to-the-evolution-of-that-culture/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [“A free society is most threatened not by uses of government that are obviously bad, but by uses of government that seem obviously good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/a-free-society-is-most-threatened-not-by-uses-of-government-that-are/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) > [The people who run the country have enormous influence over the culture, politics, and the economics of the country. And increasingly, they haven't a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-people-who-run-the-country-have-enormous-influence-over-the/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) [Explore all 98 Charles Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [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/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The genius of free human beings is that, given responsibility, they join together to take care of each other—to be their brothers’ keepers when their brother needs help. The triumph of an earlier America was that it had set all the right trends in motion, at a time when the world was first coming out of millennia of poverty into an era of plenty. The tragedy of contemporary America is that it abandoned that course. Libertarians want to return to it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Murray" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that-given-responsibility-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that-given-responsibility-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1d/charles-murray-6573_freedom_the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that_1911276.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The genius of free human beings is that, given responsibility, they join together to take care of each…” — Charles Murray", "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": "Charles Murray", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The genius of free human beings...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that-given-responsibility-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/the-genius-of-free-human-beings-is-that-given-responsibility-they/#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 } } ] } ```