--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is not doing anything you wish…" description: "\"“Freedom is not doing anything you wish; it’s actually not doing the things that you don’t wish”\" — Ela Crain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ela-crain-21420_doing_freedom-is-not-doing-anything-you-wish-i_521750.jpg" --- # Freedom is not doing anything you wish; it’s actually not… ![“Freedom is not doing anything you wish; it’s actually not doing the things that you don’t wish” quote by Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ela-crain-21420_doing_freedom-is-not-doing-anything-you-wish-i_521750.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ela-crain-21420_doing_freedom-is-not-doing-anything-you-wish-i_521750.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e7/ela-crain-21420_doing_freedom-is-not-doing-anything-you-wish-i_521750.jpg) > ““Freedom is not doing anything you wish; it’s actually not doing the things that you don’t wish”” [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom means choosing not to act on unwanted impulses, not unrestricted indulgence. **In simple terms:** Freedom is restraint from unwanted actions. Key Takeaway Practice selective action. Themes self‑control choice autonomy Mood reflective calm Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal decisions - addiction recovery - ethical dilemmas - time management Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What impulses do you avoid? - How does restraint shape your identity? A Different Perspective It can be hard to identify truly unwanted impulses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually-doing-537695/) [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Doing Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-wish-1169603/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-doing-2417970/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes God prompts us to hold back from doing something which we wish to do speedily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wordfaith3/sometimes-god-prompts-us-to-hold-back-from-doing-something-which-we/) [Wordfaith3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wordfaith3/) > [“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-hope-that-in-this-year-to-come-you-make-mistakes-because-if-you-are-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [All I can think about is what she must be doing, and how I wish she were still here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/all-i-can-think-about-is-what-she-must-be-doing-and-how-i-wish-she/) [Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/) > [To a resolute mind, wishing to do is the first step toward doing. But if we do not wish to do a thing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/to-a-resolute-mind-wishing-to-do-is-the-first-step-toward-doing-but/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [“Answer the most important questions at the start of any journey towards freedom: What am I doing now? Is it working? 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Blyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-blyth/) > [My greatest accomplishment is the freedom for doing what I want to do with my music...I love my freedom so I'm happy I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-greatest-accomplishment-is-the-freedom-for-doing-what-i-want-to-do/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [“freedom is doing and going towards what you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erlend-bakke/freedom-is-doing-and-going-towards-what-you-love/) [Erlend Bakke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erlend-bakke/) > [We're supposed to be an example of freedom, and if we are doing things that are injustice to people, then what is our statement?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/we-re-supposed-to-be-an-example-of-freedom-and-if-we-are-doing-things/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) ## More by Ela Crain > [“Transform your impatience into commitment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/transform-your-impatience-into-commitment/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“The cheapest people are the ones who you can buy with money”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/the-cheapest-people-are-the-ones-who-you-can-buy-with-money/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“Guilt is a tag we attach to gifts, when we give to get something back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/guilt-is-a-tag-we-attach-to-gifts-when-we-give-to-get-something-back/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“Security is not having lots of money, it's knowing how to handle the lack of it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/security-is-not-having-lots-of-money-it-s-knowing-how-to-handle-the/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“Impatience is nothing more than a form of self-punishment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ela-crain/impatience-is-nothing-more-than-a-form-of-self-punishment/) [Ela Crain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ela-crain/) > [“Hatred is a ping-pong game. 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No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) [Kitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. 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