--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes…" description: "\"“It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes effort; it takes attention and focus to not act something like an automaton. Although we do have freedom, we ex..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/gabor-mat-1410_conscious-awareness_it-s-a-subtle-thing-freedom-it-takes-eff_2279446.jpg" --- # It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes effort; it takes… ![“It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes effort; it takes attention and focus to not act something like an automaton. Although we do have freedom, we exercise it only when we strive for awareness, when we are conscious not just of the content of the mind but also of the mind itself as a process.’ We…” quote by Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/gabor-mat-1410_conscious-awareness_it-s-a-subtle-thing-freedom-it-takes-eff_2279446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/gabor-mat-1410_conscious-awareness_it-s-a-subtle-thing-freedom-it-takes-eff_2279446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/gabor-mat-1410_conscious-awareness_it-s-a-subtle-thing-freedom-it-takes-eff_2279446.jpg) > ““It’s a subtle thing, freedom. It takes effort; it takes attention and focus to not act something like an automaton. Although we do have freedom, we exercise it only when we strive for awareness, when we are conscious not just of the content of the mind but also of the mind itself as a process.’ We may say, then, that in the world of the psyche, freedom is a relative concept: the power to choose exists only when our automatic mechanisms are subject to those brain systems that are able to maintain conscious awareness. A person experiences greater or less freedom from one situation to the next, from one interaction to the next, from one moment to the next. Anyone whose automatic brain mechanisms habitually run in overdrive has diminished capacity for free decision making, especially if the parts of the brain that facilitate conscious choice are impaired or underdeveloped.”” [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom requires conscious awareness; without mindfulness, automatic mental processes dominate, limiting true choice. **In simple terms:** Freedom needs attention and mindfulness. Key Takeaway Cultivate awareness to expand choice. Themes mindfulness autonomy psychology self‑regulation Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - decision‑making - stress management - personal growth Key Concepts consciousness automaticity neuroscience free will Questions to Reflect On - How can you notice automatic thoughts? - What practices deepen self‑awareness? A Different Perspective Awareness is hard to sustain under chronic stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness-conscious-1324767/) [Conscious awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-awareness/) [Conscious Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-choice/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Facilitate Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facilitate-conscious-5314381/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Psyche Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psyche-freedom-5314382/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“Freedom in society is gauged by our success in getting what we want and conditioned by status and power, by race, class and gender.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/freedom-in-society-is-gauged-by-our-success-in-getting-what-we-want/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“We think our actions express our decisions. But in nearly all of our life, willing decides nothing. We cannot wake up or fall asleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/we-think-our-actions-express-our-decisions-but-in-nearly-all-of-our/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [The first thing is to learn how to quiet the mind, relax the mind, and bring the awareness to the front so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-first-thing-is-to-learn-how-to-quiet-the-mind-relax-the-mind-and/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [“Acts don't mean anything. Acts do not matter--you,your awareness, your being conscious,mindful, is what matters. What you do is not the concern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/acts-don-t-mean-anything-acts-do-not-matter-you-your-awareness-your/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Awareness is conscious connection with universal intelligence. 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The offers, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-grunberg/nothing-is-a-conscious-choice-as-an-actor-at-the-begining-stage-there/) [Greg Grunberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-grunberg/) > [“Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heatherash-amara/change-is-inevitable-but-transformation-is-by-conscious-choice/) [HeatherAsh Amara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heatherash-amara/) > [“Human agency, the ability to affect the surrounding world, may be a result not so simply of conscious choice - but instead a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wikipedia/human-agency-the-ability-to-affect-the-surrounding-world-may-be-a/) [Wikipedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wikipedia/) > [Become very conscious of every choice you make today so you can begin to make smarter choices moving forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/become-very-conscious-of-every-choice-you-make-today-so-you-can-begin/) [Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/) ## More by Gabor Maté > [“As parents who make every effort we can to raise our children in loving security, we do not need to feel more guilt than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/as-parents-who-make-every-effort-we-can-to-raise-our-children-in/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The fact is, we in this society are often quite removed from our own emotional reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-fact-is-we-in-this-society-are-often-quite-removed-from-our-own/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“Shame is the deepest of the “negative emotions,” a feeling we will do almost anything to avoid. 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