---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered…"
description: "\"Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to use no forms but such as existed in nature, or to invent nothing save in accordance with the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg"
---

#  Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to…

![“Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to use no forms but such as existed in nature, or to invent nothing save in accordance with the laws of the world of the senses; but it must not therefore be imagined that they desire escape from the region of law.” quote by George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg)

> “Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to use no forms but such as existed in nature, or to invent nothing save in accordance with the laws of the world of the senses; but it must not therefore be imagined that they desire escape from the region of law.”

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

## About This Quote

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

Thinkers may resist using only natural forms, yet they do not seek to break natural law.

**In simple terms:** Thinkers value natural law while exploring creativity.

Key Takeaway

Balance respect for law with imaginative invention.

Themes

creativity law philosophy

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic design
- scientific theory
- ethical debates

Key Concepts

naturalism innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- Should constraints inspire or limit creativity?
- How can one honor law while innovating?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on law may stifle originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thinkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinkers/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [All I can do is just do what I can do and not be hampered by knowing that some people won't like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/all-i-can-do-is-just-do-what-i-can-do-and-not-be-hampered-by-knowing/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [“He knows this by the way the girl stumbles, and it occurs to him for the first time that by taking her with him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/he-knows-this-by-the-way-the-girl-stumbles-and-it-occurs-to-him-for/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“Yet I am still somewhat hampered. I cannot free myself from that strong, commanding voice which speaks to me, or from that mysterious power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-grabi-ski/yet-i-am-still-somewhat-hampered-i-cannot-free-myself-from-that/)

Stefan Grabiński

> [I just don't want to be hampered by my own limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbra-streisand/i-just-don-t-want-to-be-hampered-by-my-own-limitations/)

[Barbra Streisand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbra-streisand/)

> [I was and I always shall be hampered by what I think other people will say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violette-leduc/i-was-and-i-always-shall-be-hampered-by-what-i-think-other-people/)

[Violette Leduc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violette-leduc/)

> [The region belonging to the pure intellect is straitened: the imagination labours to extend its territories, to give it room. She sweeps across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-region-belonging-to-the-pure-intellect-is-straitened-the/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [God Himself - His thoughts, His will, His love, His judgments are men's home. To think His thoughts, to choose His will, to judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/god-himself-his-thoughts-his-will-his-love-his-judgments-are-men-s/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Doubts are the messengers of the Living One to the honest. They are the first knock at our door of things that are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/doubts-are-the-messengers-of-the-living-one-to-the-honest-they-are/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“We live in a thinker's world, thinkers rule the world; If you are not a thinker, you end up as a slave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oyedepo/we-live-in-a-thinker-s-world-thinkers-rule-the-world-if-you-are-not-a/)

[David Oyedepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oyedepo/)

> [“I consider myself a synthetic thinker in a virtual domain therefore if I’m way off there is no solid foundation or reference for authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-henegan/i-consider-myself-a-synthetic-thinker-in-a-virtual-domain-therefore/)

[Carl Henegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-henegan/)

> [“I believe in Aphrodite, I believe in insane thinkers, I believe in roaring free-spirits, I believe in full-throated poetry, I believe in feverish sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-gentile/i-believe-in-aphrodite-i-believe-in-insane-thinkers-i-believe-in/)

[Laura Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-gentile/)

> [Positive Thinkers get positive results because they appreciate the inestimable value of a day, this day, not the next day, but this day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/positive-thinkers-get-positive-results-because-they-appreciate-the/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [“No knowledge comes from the outside world or an imaginary supernatural paradise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-knowledge-comes-from-the-outside-world-or-an-imaginary/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“I am not an atheist. But the religion that I do advocate is not of the Bible, Vedas, Quran or any other scripture. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-am-not-an-atheist-but-the-religion-that-i-do-advocate-is-not-of-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“Independent thinkers are usually deemed nuts until everyone realizes they were onto something all along”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-sims/independent-thinkers-are-usually-deemed-nuts-until-everyone-realizes/)

Janice Sims

## More by George MacDonald

> [“No revelation can be other than partial. If for true revelation a man must be told all the truth, then farewell to revelation; yea,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/no-revelation-can-be-other-than-partial-if-for-true-revelation-a-man/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [In low theologies, hell is invariably the deepest truth, and the love of God is not so deep as hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/in-low-theologies-hell-is-invariably-the-deepest-truth-and-the-love/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Life and religion are one, or neither is any thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/life-and-religion-are-one-or-neither-is-any-thing/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [The region belonging to the pure intellect is straitened: the imagination labours to extend its territories, to give it room. She sweeps across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-region-belonging-to-the-pure-intellect-is-straitened-the/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Ah, what is it we send up thither, where our thoughts are either a dissonance or a sweetness and a grace?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/ah-what-is-it-we-send-up-thither-where-our-thoughts-are-either-a/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [You must learn to be strong in the dark as well as in the day, else you will always be only half brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/you-must-learn-to-be-strong-in-the-dark-as-well-as-in-the-day-else/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“Few delights can equal the mere presence of one whom we trust utterly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/few-delights-can-equal-the-mere-presence-of-one-whom-we-trust-utterly/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“You have tasted of death now,” said the old man. “Is it good?” “It is good,” said Mossy. “It is better than life.” “No,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/you-have-tasted-of-death-now-said-the-old-man-is-it-good-it-is-good/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [ “I wish I had \[made that song\]. No, I don't That would be to take it from somebody else. But it's mine for all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/i-wish-i-had-made-that-song-no-i-don-t-that-would-be-to-take-it-from/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Past tears are present strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/past-tears-are-present-strength/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Age is not all decay; it is the ripening, the swelling, of the fresh life within, that withers and bursts the husk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/age-is-not-all-decay-it-is-the-ripening-the-swelling-of-the-fresh/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [I want to help you grow as beautiful as God meant you to be when he thought of you first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/i-want-to-help-you-grow-as-beautiful-as-god-meant-you-to-be-when-he/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“Immeasurably imperfect it was, but false the impression could not be, for she saw with the eyes made for seeing, and saw indeed what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/immeasurably-imperfect-it-was-but-false-the-impression-could-not-be/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [Those that hope little cannot grow much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/those-that-hope-little-cannot-grow-much/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

[Explore all 720 George MacDonald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [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/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to use no forms but such as existed in nature, or to invent nothing save in accordance with the laws of the world of the senses; but it must not therefore be imagined that they desire escape from the region of law.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George MacDonald"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered-if-at-liberty-to-use-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered-if-at-liberty-to-use-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cac/george-macdonald-295_desire_some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered_2057894.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered if at liberty to use no forms but such as existed in nature, or to…” — George MacDonald",
                "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": "George MacDonald",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some thinkers would feel sorely hampered...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered-if-at-liberty-to-use-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/some-thinkers-would-feel-sorely-hampered-if-at-liberty-to-use-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
