--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know what's wrong with humanity?…" description: "\"You know what's wrong with humanity?... The greatest gift we were given is our free will, and we keep misusing it.\" — Dean Koontz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/dean-koontz-118_free-will_you-know-what-s-wrong-with-humanity-the_901754.jpg" --- # You know what's wrong with humanity?... The greatest gift… ![“You know what's wrong with humanity?... The greatest gift we were given is our free will, and we keep misusing it.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/dean-koontz-118_free-will_you-know-what-s-wrong-with-humanity-the_901754.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/dean-koontz-118_free-will_you-know-what-s-wrong-with-humanity-the_901754.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b82/dean-koontz-118_free-will_you-know-what-s-wrong-with-humanity-the_901754.jpg) > “You know what's wrong with humanity?... The greatest gift we were given is our free will, and we keep misusing it.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human free will is a powerful gift, yet it is often misused, leading to moral decline **In simple terms:** Free will is misused, causing problems Key Takeaway Use free will responsibly Themes free will morality humanity Mood thoughtful concerned Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - politics - technology - personal decisions - social media Key Concepts ethics responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we better steward our choices? - What structures help prevent misuse? A Different Perspective Free will can be constrained by external forces ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Greatest gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-gift/) [Greatest gifts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-gifts/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-greatest-1104911/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Wrong Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-humanity-1249124/) ## Related quotes > [Dreaming is one of humanity’s greatest gifts - it champions aspiration, spurs innovation, leads to change, and propels the world forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/dreaming-is-one-of-humanity-s-greatest-gifts-it-champions-aspiration/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [The greatest gift God gave us is also our greatest curse, which is the free will. We are made in God's image, the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/the-greatest-gift-god-gave-us-is-also-our-greatest-curse-which-is-the/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [One of the greatest gifts a person can give another, is support.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-greatest-gifts-a-person-can-give-another-is-support/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the space to be his or herself, without the threat of you leaving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-greene/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-space-to-be-his-or/) [Kai Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-greene/) > [The greatest gift that an actor can have is good scripts because then you're relieved of the responsibility of trying to elevate the material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holt-mccallany/the-greatest-gift-that-an-actor-can-have-is-good-scripts-because-then/) [Holt McCallany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holt-mccallany/) > [The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand, and touch another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-satir/the-greatest-gift-i-can-give-is-to-see-hear-understand-and-touch/) [Virginia Satir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-satir/) > [Chocolate is the greatest gift to women ever created, next to the likes of Paul Newman and Gene Kelly. It's something that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/chocolate-is-the-greatest-gift-to-women-ever-created-next-to-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) > [One of the greatest gifts to give our friends and others is a prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/one-of-the-greatest-gifts-to-give-our-friends-and-others-is-a-prayer/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) > [A dog is the greatest gift a parent can give a child. OK, a good education, then a dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grogan/a-dog-is-the-greatest-gift-a-parent-can-give-a-child-ok-a-good/) [John Grogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grogan/) > [The greatest gift that you can give another person is to gracefully receive whatever it is that they want to give us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/the-greatest-gift-that-you-can-give-another-person-is-to-gracefully/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [The greatest gifts you can give someone are your time, your attention, your love, and your concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-gifts-you-can-give-someone-are-your-time-your-attention/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Humanity greatest need is God's grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/humanity-greatest-need-is-god-s-grace/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [You can certainly destroy enough of humanity so that only the greatest act of faith can persuade you that what's left will be human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-oppenheimer/you-can-certainly-destroy-enough-of-humanity-so-that-only-the/) [J. Robert Oppenheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-oppenheimer/) > [Humanity's greatest desire is to belong and connect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-russell/humanity-s-greatest-desire-is-to-belong-and-connect/) [Jason Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-russell/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Free will quotes > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Only when he voluntarily chooses that which he inexorably must do, has man any free will at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-when-he-voluntarily-chooses-that-which-he-inexorably-must-do-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [“The answer to the question raised in the title of this essay - Is salvation a matter of divine determination or human responsibility? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/layton-talbert/the-answer-to-the-question-raised-in-the-title-of-this-essay-is/) [Layton Talbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/layton-talbert/) > [“Mastema prefers absolutes. He wants fences on the world and everything in its place, neat and tidy as a churchyard garden. God is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-crow/mastema-prefers-absolutes-he-wants-fences-on-the-world-and-everything/) [Kirby Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirby-crow/) > [“There is a big park in the middle of the locality. Surrounded by at least 50 houses. That those residents got to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-paula/there-is-a-big-park-in-the-middle-of-the-locality-surrounded-by-at/) [Andy Paula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-paula/) > [I believe in free will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessa-crispin/i-believe-in-free-will/) [Jessa Crispin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessa-crispin/) > [“Most people live life on the path we set for them. Too afraid to explore any other. But once in a while people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-adjustment-bureau/most-people-live-life-on-the-path-we-set-for-them-too-afraid-to/) [The Adjustment Bureau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-adjustment-bureau/) > [They either attach themselves to God's will, which results in their continuous progress, improvement and advancement, or they oppose God's will, are justly subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-palamas/they-either-attach-themselves-to-god-s-will-which-results-in-their/) [Gregory Palamas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-palamas/) > [I know we can each do something, however small that act may seem to be. We can pay an honest tithe and give our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/i-know-we-can-each-do-something-however-small-that-act-may-seem-to-be/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [“We are built to desire free will and to choose our own destiny. It's not about being right or wrong; it's about the celebration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deiamor-verus/we-are-built-to-desire-free-will-and-to-choose-our-own-destiny-it-s/) [DeiAmor Verus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deiamor-verus/) > [Your true nature doesn't come out. So the gods let you do what you want because free will would be compromised if they showed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarsem-singh/your-true-nature-doesn-t-come-out-so-the-gods-let-you-do-what-you/) [Tarsem Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarsem-singh/) > [“Christianity would be helpless without the idea of free will and the idea of free will would be helpless without incongruity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/christianity-would-be-helpless-without-the-idea-of-free-will-and-the/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) [Browse all 877 Free will quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know what's wrong with humanity?... 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