--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humans were free before the word freedom…" description: "\"Humans were free before the word freedom became necessary.\" — Edward Abbey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/edward-abbey-254_free_humans-were-free-before-the-word-freedom_1435680.png" --- # Humans were free before the word freedom became necessary. ![“Humans were free before the word freedom became necessary.” quote by Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/edward-abbey-254_free_humans-were-free-before-the-word-freedom_1435680.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/edward-abbey-254_free_humans-were-free-before-the-word-freedom_1435680.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/edward-abbey-254_free_humans-were-free-before-the-word-freedom_1435680.png) > “Humans were free before the word freedom became necessary.” [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom becomes a concept when it is no longer naturally exercised, highlighting its paradox. **In simple terms:** We notice freedom when it’s lost. Key Takeaway Recognize and cherish natural freedoms. Themes freedom paradox society Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - political discourse - environmental activism Key Concepts philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - What freedoms do you assume you have? - How does language shape our perception of liberty? A Different Perspective Freedom can be taken for granted and ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [“Now imagine the opposite: a world where humans are free to roam in nature, create with their hands, and connect with their surroundings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-breniman/now-imagine-the-opposite-a-world-where-humans-are-free-to-roam-in/) [Ken Breniman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-breniman/) > [Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/heresy-is-only-another-word-for-freedom-of-thought/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Barriers are continually being made out of... new values which have overturned the barriers of the past. Thus one sees that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/barriers-are-continually-being-made-out-of-new-values-which-have/) [Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/) > [Perfect freedom is as necessary to the health and vigor of commerce as it is to the health and vigor of citizenship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-henry/perfect-freedom-is-as-necessary-to-the-health-and-vigor-of-commerce/) [Patrick Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-henry/) > [In order to have enough freedom, it is necessary to have too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/in-order-to-have-enough-freedom-it-is-necessary-to-have-too-much/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Our goal was not freedom. Freedom was the necessary prerequisite to get to equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/our-goal-was-not-freedom-freedom-was-the-necessary-prerequisite-to/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life. For my own part, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/it-must-not-be-forgotten-that-it-is-especially-dangerous-to-enslave-2/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life. 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Freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/freedom-to-me-is-a-luxury-of-being-able-to-follow-the-path-of-the/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Character is not the enemy of self-expression and personal freedom, it is their necessary precondition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/character-is-not-the-enemy-of-self-expression-and-personal-freedom-it/) [James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/) > [Freedom is necessary for two reasons. It's necessary for the individual, because the individual, no matter how good the society is, every individual has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/freedom-is-necessary-for-two-reasons-it-s-necessary-for-the/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [We see now that infringement of freedom is necessary with regard to the opponents of the revolution. At a time of revolution we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-bukharin/we-see-now-that-infringement-of-freedom-is-necessary-with-regard-to/) Nikolai Bukharin ## More by Edward Abbey > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/by-the-age-of-eighteen-a-human-has-acquired-enough-joy-and-heartache/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“Our institutions are too big; they represent not the best but the worst characteristics of human beings. 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We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [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/) > [“She felt wild and unruly, determined and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/she-felt-wild-and-unruly-determined-and-free/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [Love doesnt stake claims. 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