---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is of no use without taste and…"
description: "\"“Freedom is of no use without taste and without the ordinary competence to follow the particular laws of what we have been given to do.”\" — Flannery O'..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png"
---

#  Freedom is of no use without taste and without the…

![“Freedom is of no use without taste and without the ordinary competence to follow the particular laws of what we have been given to do.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png)

> ““Freedom is of no use without taste and without the ordinary competence to follow the particular laws of what we have been given to do.””

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Freedom alone is insufficient; it must be paired with personal discernment and the ability to act within given constraints.

**In simple terms:** Freedom needs taste and competence.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate skill and judgment alongside liberty.

Themes

freedom responsibility skill ethics

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- personal decision-making
- leadership
- creative work
- daily routines

Key Concepts

autonomy moral agency practical wisdom

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal freedom with societal rules?
- What skills are needed to use freedom wisely?

A Different Perspective

Without competence, freedom can become chaotic or harmful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws/)

## Related quotes

> [“The more respect that different objects, customs, or laws are given, the more attentively you have to question the right these things have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-more-respect-that-different-objects-customs-or-laws-are-given-the/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [Laws are important. But they can only be effective if the people know about the particular laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-dirie/laws-are-important-but-they-can-only-be-effective-if-the-people-know/)

[Waris Dirie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-dirie/)

> [Man must choose whether to be rich in things or in the freedom to use them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-illich/man-must-choose-whether-to-be-rich-in-things-or-in-the-freedom-to-use/)

[Ivan Illich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-illich/)

> [The importance of our being free to do a particular thing has nothing to do with the question of whether we or the majority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-importance-of-our-being-free-to-do-a-particular-thing-has-nothing/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [“Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/freedom-1-includes-the-freedom-to-use-your-changed-version-in-place/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let us prize our freedom; but not use our liberty for a cloak of maliciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-mayhew/let-us-prize-our-freedom-but-not-use-our-liberty-for-a-cloak-of/)

[Jonathan Mayhew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-mayhew/)

> [The freedom that will be used by only one man in a million may be more important to society and more beneficial to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-freedom-that-will-be-used-by-only-one-man-in-a-million-may-be/)

[Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/)

> [Un-American activity cannot be prevented or routed out by employing un-American methods; to preserve freedom we must use the tools that freedom provides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/un-american-activity-cannot-be-prevented-or-routed-out-by-employing/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Freedom is not of use to those who do not know how to employ it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/freedom-is-not-of-use-to-those-who-do-not-know-how-to-employ-it/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [ When we got organized as a country, \[and\] wrote a fairly radical Constitution, with a radical Bill of Rights, giving radical amounts of freedom… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/when-we-got-organized-as-a-country-and-wrote-a-fairly-radical/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [All we have of freedom All we use or know This our fathers bought for us Long and long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/all-we-have-of-freedom-all-we-use-or-know-this-our-fathers-bought-for/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [It's important for people to have freedom to use whatever product they want. We have no problems with other people using other apps, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/it-s-important-for-people-to-have-freedom-to-use-whatever-product/)

[Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/)

> [“But let us not rail about justice as long as we have arms and the freedom to use them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/but-let-us-not-rail-about-justice-as-long-as-we-have-arms-and-the/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [When I launched the development of the GNU system, I explicitly said the purpose of developing this system is so we can use our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/when-i-launched-the-development-of-the-gnu-system-i-explicitly-said/)

[Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/)

> [“That’s what I was meaning. Ye’ve got to have freedom first. It’s no use believing what other folks say; the only thing is for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-stevenson/that-s-what-i-was-meaning-ye-ve-got-to-have-freedom-first-it-s-no-use/)

[D.E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-stevenson/)

## More by Flannery O'Connor

> [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

[Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## 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": "“Freedom is of no use without taste and without the ordinary competence to follow the particular laws of what we have been given to do.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Flannery O'Connor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-without-the-ordinary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Freedom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-without-the-ordinary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/flannery-o-connor-639_freedom_freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-w_2778630.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Freedom is of no use without taste and without the ordinary competence to follow the particular laws of what…” — Flannery O'Connor",
                "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": "Flannery O'Connor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Freedom is of no use without...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-without-the-ordinary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/freedom-is-of-no-use-without-taste-and-without-the-ordinary/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
