--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a human being, you are an autonomous…" description: "\"“As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek, “self-ruling”) being. And”\" — Fred Kofman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg" --- # As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek… ![“As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek, “self-ruling”) being. And” quote by Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg) > ““As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek, “self-ruling”) being. And”” [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings are inherently self‑governing, possessing autonomy and the capacity for independent thought. **In simple terms:** People are naturally self‑ruling beings. Key Takeaway Recognize and honor your autonomy. Themes autonomy human nature self‑governance Mood thoughtful empowering Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - decision making - creative work - conflict resolution - personal growth Key Concepts existential freedom personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - In what areas do you feel your autonomy is limited? - How can you balance self‑rule with cooperation? A Different Perspective Autonomy can clash with social expectations and obligations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Creativity is a challenge. It requires us to be fully human -- autonomous yet engaged, independent yet interdependent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/creativity-is-a-challenge-it-requires-us-to-be-fully-human-autonomous-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't be the judge of my life I know in May be weird by I can handle my own life I don't people should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destiny/don-t-be-the-judge-of-my-life-i-know-in-may-be-weird-by-i-can-handle/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destiny/) > [“I talk of love, a scholar's parrot may talk greek, but, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-keaggy/i-talk-of-love-a-scholar-s-parrot-may-talk-greek-but-self-imprisoned/) phil keaggy > [“To be political, to live in a polis, meant that everything was decided through words and persuasion and not through force and violence. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/to-be-political-to-live-in-a-polis-meant-that-everything-was-decided/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) ## More by Fred Kofman > [“they never relinquished control over their inner experience. Certainly,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/they-never-relinquished-control-over-their-inner-experience-certainly/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“That is absurd. Nobody”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/that-is-absurd-nobody/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Taking care of ourselves does not preclude educating abusers or removing them from our organizations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/taking-care-of-ourselves-does-not-preclude-educating-abusers-or/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“How can you avert these disasters?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/how-can-you-avert-these-disasters/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Response-ability is your ability to respond to a situation. You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/response-ability-is-your-ability-to-respond-to-a-situation-you/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Al’s explanation doesn’t appease John. “It’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/al-s-explanation-doesn-t-appease-john-it-s/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Frankl discovered that a human being’s fundamental dignity lies in his capacity to choose his response to any situation—his response-ability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/frankl-discovered-that-a-human-being-s-fundamental-dignity-lies-in/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Since the victim does not see himself as part of the problem, he cannot imagine himself as part of the solution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/since-the-victim-does-not-see-himself-as-part-of-the-problem-he/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“In the hands of a mature, healthy human being—one who has achieved full humanness—power ... is a great blessing. But in the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/in-the-hands-of-a-mature-healthy-human-being-one-who-has-achieved/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“the more conscious you are of your autonomy, the more unconditioned your responses will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/the-more-conscious-you-are-of-your-autonomy-the-more-unconditioned/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Unconditional blame is the tendency to explain all difficulties exclusively as the consequence of forces beyond your influence, to see yourself as an absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/unconditional-blame-is-the-tendency-to-explain-all-difficulties/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Consciousness of man’s inherent freedom, responsibility, and power is the most important quality of a business leader, not just for the well-being of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/consciousness-of-man-s-inherent-freedom-responsibility-and-power-is/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“Thus the most important function of the leader is to encourage everyone to see him- or herself as a member of the larger system,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/thus-the-most-important-function-of-the-leader-is-to-encourage/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“If leaders display the self-righteous indignation of the victim, they encourage their followers to do the same. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/if-leaders-display-the-self-righteous-indignation-of-the-victim-they/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [“the conscious leader helps the group redirect that energy toward pursuing its goals with integrity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/the-conscious-leader-helps-the-group-redirect-that-energy-toward/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) [Explore all 16 Fred Kofman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) ## More Self quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/) [Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nothing is better for self-esteem than survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/nothing-is-better-for-self-esteem-than-survival/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) > [ “The worldly \[spiritual\] science is methodic (kramic) in nature; one progresses “step by step”; one has to ascent one step at a time. Whereas… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-worldly-spiritual-science-is-methodic-kramic-in-nature-one/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 22,194 Self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek, “self-ruling”) being. And”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Kofman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-from-the-greek-self-ruling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Self" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-from-the-greek-self-ruling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/fred-kofman-31999_self_as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-f_179099.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a human being, you are an autonomous (from the Greek, “self-ruling”) being. And” — Fred Kofman", "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": "Fred Kofman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As a human being, you are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-from-the-greek-self-ruling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/as-a-human-being-you-are-an-autonomous-from-the-greek-self-ruling/#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 } } ] } ```