--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a…" description: "\"I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can see\" — Gordon Lightfoot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg" --- # I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you… ![“I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can see” quote by Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg) > “I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can see” [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lingering presence feels trapped because others can see and judge it, preventing true freedom. **In simple terms:** Being seen as a ghost keeps you bound. Key Takeaway Seek inner release beyond others' perception. Themes identity visibility freedom Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic lyative When to use this quote - personal relationships - mental health - creative expression Key Concepts self‑awareness social perception Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself feel trapped by others' eyes? - How can you become invisible to gain freedom? A Different Perspective If others stop watching, freedom may still be elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [As long as I am nothing but a ghost of the civil dead, I can do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-long-as-i-am-nothing-but-a-ghost-of-the-civil-dead-i-can-do-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmer-davis/this-will-remain-the-land-of-the-free-only-so-long-as-it-is-the-home/) [Elmer Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmer-davis/) > [A puppet is free as long as he loves his strings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/a-puppet-is-free-as-long-as-he-loves-his-strings/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I would do this for free as long as you're doing it for free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/i-would-do-this-for-free-as-long-as-you-re-doing-it-for-free/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [I would do this for free as long as youre doing it for free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/i-would-do-this-for-free-as-long-as-youre-doing-it-for-free/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [You can never be free as long as you have an ego to defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/you-can-never-be-free-as-long-as-you-have-an-ego-to-defend/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [If you love something set it free, but don't be surprised if it comes back with herpes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-you-love-something-set-it-free-but-don-t-be-surprised-if-it-comes/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Sometimes what you fear the most to do is the very thing that will set you free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristy-robinett/sometimes-what-you-fear-the-most-to-do-is-the-very-thing-that-will/) Kristy Robinett > [You, ignorant of the way of Love, set Me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/you-ignorant-of-the-way-of-love-set-me-free/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [“If you truly love something, you should set it free, and if it doesn't come back then...they were never yours to start.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/better-me/if-you-truly-love-something-you-should-set-it-free-and-if-it-doesn-t/) Better Me > [If you love anything set it free unless it is a tiger..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshitij-roshan/if-you-love-anything-set-it-free-unless-it-is-a-tiger/) [Kshitij Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshitij-roshan/) > [“As has been said, the truth will set you free - but first it will make you miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-watts/as-has-been-said-the-truth-will-set-you-free-but-first-it-will-make/) [Malcolm Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-watts/) > [Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-unlocking-the-door-to-set-someone-free-and-realizing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The truth alone will not set you free, but holding on to the truth in the face of the lie, over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reimer/the-truth-alone-will-not-set-you-free-but-holding-on-to-the-truth-in/) [Rob Reimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reimer/) > [“Her. Her. Her. Future breezes implore me to stay. But I'm no future. I'm no past. Only ever contemporary of this path. I'll sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/her-her-her-future-breezes-implore-me-to-stay-but-i-m-no-future-i-m/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) ## More by Gordon Lightfoot > [You just get the vibes of your surroundings and it rubs off on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/you-just-get-the-vibes-of-your-surroundings-and-it-rubs-off-on-you/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [There is always something wrong with a song, you can't be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/there-is-always-something-wrong-with-a-song-you-can-t-be-perfect/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-love-jazz-i-still-do-dave-brubeck-and-stan-getz-are-so-good-i-took/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I was a drummer in the bugle band in cadets. I marched. It's probably quite funny to look back on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-was-a-drummer-in-the-bugle-band-in-cadets-i-marched-it-s-probably/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I wrote one called 'The No Hotel.' I got inspired in 1989 while I was on a trip down to Brazil, and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-wrote-one-called-the-no-hotel-i-got-inspired-in-1989-while-i-was-on/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I never believed - or knew for sure - if I would be able to make a professional life in music. But it turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-never-believed-or-knew-for-sure-if-i-would-be-able-to-make-a/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to keep it light and positive most of the time, whereas earlier on I didn't always do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-keep-it-light-and-positive-most-of-the-time-whereas-earlier/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to write songs. At our concerts, we take the cream of the crop from my back catalogue and I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-write-songs-at-our-concerts-we-take-the-cream-of-the-crop/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [Sometimes a broken dream will make you sad or make you mean. Sometimes things ain't bad as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/sometimes-a-broken-dream-will-make-you-sad-or-make-you-mean-sometimes/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [She is my flower and she blooms for the one who loves her best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/she-is-my-flower-and-she-blooms-for-the-one-who-loves-her-best/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [If there's a reason for the way that life is I'd like to find it. After all, who's life is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/if-there-s-a-reason-for-the-way-that-life-is-i-d-like-to-find-it/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I was happy to be in England, because my mother had always loved the royals, and so do I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-was-happy-to-be-in-england-because-my-mother-had-always-loved-the/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [ It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point \[John\] Lennon and \[Paul\] McCartney influenced my writing. I thought, "maybe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/it-was-very-interesting-time-to-be-in-england-even-at-that-point-john/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [The giant neon spinning discs are a reminder of the huge role that Sam Sniderman and his store played in the cultural life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/the-giant-neon-spinning-discs-are-a-reminder-of-the-huge-role-that/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [She been looking like a queen in a sailor's dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/she-been-looking-like-a-queen-in-a-sailor-s-dream/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) [Explore all 90 Gordon Lightfoot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) ## More Free quotes > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [If you love anything set it free unless it is a tiger..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kshitij-roshan/if-you-love-anything-set-it-free-unless-it-is-a-tiger/) [Kshitij Roshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kshitij-roshan/) > [I free slaves because I believe we are all created equal. I just can't think of anything that has a higher purpose than putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-williams/i-free-slaves-because-i-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-i-just-can-t/) [Virginia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-williams/) > [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [My work is a love for me; I'd do it for free, but don't tell my bosses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chick-hearn/my-work-is-a-love-for-me-i-d-do-it-for-free-but-don-t-tell-my-bosses/) [Chick Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chick-hearn/) > [We want to free our citizens from the burden of excessive paper documents in every office. We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“She felt wild and unruly, determined and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/she-felt-wild-and-unruly-determined-and-free/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [Love doesnt stake claims. It is free for the giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-minagar/love-doesnt-stake-claims-it-is-free-for-the-giving/) [Melody Minagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-minagar/) > [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Music is how I get free. It's a way to shut the rest of the world down and create your own world within it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-of-gab/music-is-how-i-get-free-it-s-a-way-to-shut-the-rest-of-the-world-down/) Gift of Gab > [The dignity of man is in free choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/the-dignity-of-man-is-in-free-choice/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) Browse all 6,143 Free quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can see", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordon Lightfoot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m-a-ghost-that-you-can-see/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Free" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m-a-ghost-that-you-can-see/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/gordon-lightfoot-7499_free_i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m_2578178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I won't ever be set free as long as I'm a ghost that you can see” — Gordon Lightfoot", "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": "Gordon Lightfoot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I won't ever be set free...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m-a-ghost-that-you-can-see/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-won-t-ever-be-set-free-as-long-as-i-m-a-ghost-that-you-can-see/#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 } } ] } ```