--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be free in the republican sense…" description: "\"“To be free in the republican sense, people must have adequate resources enabling them to make reasonable choices, whatever the preferences and opinion..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/guy-standing-4017_decision-making_to-be-free-in-the-republican-sense-peopl_682532.jpg" --- # To be free in the republican sense, people must have… ![“To be free in the republican sense, people must have adequate resources enabling them to make reasonable choices, whatever the preferences and opinions of others. And full freedom requires that others are aware of this freedom and thus cannot look down on someone in pity or contempt. Freedom must…” quote by Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/guy-standing-4017_decision-making_to-be-free-in-the-republican-sense-peopl_682532.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/guy-standing-4017_decision-making_to-be-free-in-the-republican-sense-peopl_682532.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d72/guy-standing-4017_decision-making_to-be-free-in-the-republican-sense-peopl_682532.jpg) > ““To be free in the republican sense, people must have adequate resources enabling them to make reasonable choices, whatever the preferences and opinions of others. And full freedom requires that others are aware of this freedom and thus cannot look down on someone in pity or contempt. Freedom must mean neutrality towards individual decision making, not a carefully constructed, devious, non-transparent edifice of devices to induce norm-driven behaviour, however benevolent the intention. This clearly justifies a basic income, and combats the pernicious notion of the beggar, a ‘stigmatized petitioner’. Part of the republican tradition, associated with Hannah Arendt as well as Aristotle, also embraces the idea of ‘associational freedom’ – the ability and opportunity to act in concert as a group. Associational freedom has been under relentless attack by the neo-liberal state, for the simple reason that ‘associations’ can be portrayed as opposed to market forces and as distorting them. A republic is conceivable only if everybody is in the company of equally self-confident people free of existential fear. This”” [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True freedom requires material security and societal respect, enabling individuals to make choices without stigma or coercion. **In simple terms:** Economic security and respect enable real liberty. Key Takeaway Support basic income and neutral policies. Themes freedom equality basic income republicanism social justice Mood hopeful determined critical Type political social When to use this quote - public policy - social welfare - community organizing - education - political discourse Key Concepts material security associational freedom neutrality stigma reduction Questions to Reflect On - What would a society look like with universal basic income? - How can we protect associational freedom from market pressures? A Different Perspective Ignoring material needs undermines liberty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Opinions Of Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions-of-others/) ## Related quotes > [Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/real-freedom-is-freedom-from-the-opinions-of-others-above-all-freedom/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [My view is that good community management is like having good municipal government: You should be able to have dissenting opinions and so on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/my-view-is-that-good-community-management-is-like-having-good/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) > [In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude. Every man will speak as he thinks, or, more properly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/in-a-free-and-republican-government-you-cannot-restrain-the-voice-of/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [I shall die in the belief that to make France free, republican and prosperous, a little ink would have sufficed - and only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-desmoulins/i-shall-die-in-the-belief-that-to-make-france-free-republican-and/) [Camille Desmoulins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-desmoulins/) > [In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/in-a-free-and-republican-government-you-cannot-restrain-the-voice-of-2/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“The ‘republican’ variant is that freedom must mean non-domination. Stemming from Aristotle, republican freedom requires freedom from potential domination as well as from actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-republican-variant-is-that-freedom-must-mean-non-domination/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Some of the political and historical texts that inform the arguments made here are “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell (1946); The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/some-of-the-political-and-historical-texts-that-inform-the-arguments/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Deep listening is an act of surrender. We risk being changed by what we hear. When I really want to hear another person's story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valarie-kaur/deep-listening-is-an-act-of-surrender-we-risk-being-changed-by-what/) Valarie Kaur > [“The aim of totalitarian education has never been to instill convictions but to destroy the capacity to form any.” —Hannah Arendt I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/the-aim-of-totalitarian-education-has-never-been-to-instill/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [“The Jewish historian Hannah Arendt, in her book about the trial of Nazi administrator Adolf Eichmann, observes that in many cases the Nazi camps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-finlay/the-jewish-historian-hannah-arendt-in-her-book-about-the-trial-of/) [Victoria Finlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-finlay/) > [“as eminent political theorist Hannah Arendt saw back in 1951: “Would-be totalitarian rulers usually start their careers by boasting of their past crimes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-gladstone/as-eminent-political-theorist-hannah-arendt-saw-back-in-1951-would-be/) [Brooke Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-gladstone/) > [“line came into my mind, something that Hannah Arendt had once said about the poet Auden: that life had manifested the heart’s invisible furies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/line-came-into-my-mind-something-that-hannah-arendt-had-once-said/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [“Hannah Arendt scorned this preoccupation with death and proposed a new symbolism that emphasized not the inevitability of our dying, but the actuality of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/hannah-arendt-scorned-this-preoccupation-with-death-and-proposed-a/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [“Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being might suit our moment. Sinclair Lewis’s novel It Can’t Happen Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-snyder/fyodor-dostoevsky-s-the-brothers-karamazov-and-milan-kundera-s-the/) [Timothy Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-snyder/) > [“Well, as Hannah Arendt famously said, there can be a banal aspect to evil. In other words, it doesn't present always. I mean, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/well-as-hannah-arendt-famously-said-there-can-be-a-banal-aspect-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Guy Standing > [“The ethical and philosophical justifications for basic income – social justice, freedom and economic security – have been well established. They are embedded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-ethical-and-philosophical-justifications-for-basic-income-social/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [What we can say with confidence is that the technological revolution is worsening inequality, due mostly to mechanisms that limit free markets. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/what-we-can-say-with-confidence-is-that-the-technological-revolution/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“While there are reasons to be sceptical about the predicted technological dystopia that has prompted many high-tech plutocrats to come out in support of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/while-there-are-reasons-to-be-sceptical-about-the-predicted/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Selective paternalism, for those on low incomes or for other groups needing state assistance, is perhaps even worse than general paternalism, since the minority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/selective-paternalism-for-those-on-low-incomes-or-for-other-groups/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [A democratically governed national fracking fund should be set up, perhaps similar to what Norway and Alaska have. Areas of drilling should be rented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/a-democratically-governed-national-fracking-fund-should-be-set-up/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [Many low-income people in the U.S.A. charged with a crime opt to plead guilty to a lesser offence because they cannot afford to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/many-low-income-people-in-the-u-s-a-charged-with-a-crime-opt-to-plead/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [People in the precariat rely very heavily on money wages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/people-in-the-precariat-rely-very-heavily-on-money-wages/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Ironically, opponents of basic income on the grounds that it would lead to a dismantling of the welfare state tend to support some variant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/ironically-opponents-of-basic-income-on-the-grounds-that-it-would/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [Globalisation began what should be called the Great Convergence, creating a globalising labour market in which wages in emerging market economies slowly converge with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/globalisation-began-what-should-be-called-the-great-convergence/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Although reducing poverty, economic insecurity, malnutrition and ill-health should be the primary driving forces, an additional factor is the stress being placed on societies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/although-reducing-poverty-economic-insecurity-malnutrition-and-ill/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“The first basic income pilot in a developing country was implemented in the small Namibian village of Otjivero-Omitara in 2008–9, covering about 1,000 people.40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-first-basic-income-pilot-in-a-developing-country-was-implemented/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Leaving aside instrumental reasons for supporting a basic income, the thrill lies in the potential to advance full freedom and social justice, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/leaving-aside-instrumental-reasons-for-supporting-a-basic-income-the/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“Reformers must be able to pre-empt the expected jibes over lack of ‘reciprocity’, affordability, inducement to laziness, ‘something for nothing’ and cash for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/reformers-must-be-able-to-pre-empt-the-expected-jibes-over-lack-of/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [“The importance of ethical governance, exemplified by the Norwegian Pension Fund, is highlighted by a deplorable UK government proposal in 2016 to set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/the-importance-of-ethical-governance-exemplified-by-the-norwegian/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) > [If the scale of gas is anything like the claims made by its advocates, it has major implications for the economy and British society.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-standing/if-the-scale-of-gas-is-anything-like-the-claims-made-by-its-advocates/) [Guy Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) [Explore all 117 Guy Standing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-standing/) ## More Decision making quotes > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [“How can you make an informed decision about whether to save the world if you never leave your tiny part of it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-david-hutchinson/how-can-you-make-an-informed-decision-about-whether-to-save-the-world/) [Shaun David Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-david-hutchinson/) > [Indecision becomes decision with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indecision-becomes-decision-with-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Decision is a risk rooted in the courage of being free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/decision-is-a-risk-rooted-in-the-courage-of-being-free/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [“Making a decision takes a moment, living a decision takes a life-time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherif-a-el-mawardy/making-a-decision-takes-a-moment-living-a-decision-takes-a-life-time/) [Sherif A. El-Mawardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherif-a-el-mawardy/) > [Cheshvan starts tonight," Rixon said, "What are you doing arsing around in a graveyard?" "Thinking." "Thinking?" 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We waste so much time making decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bullock/i-think-most-of-us-are-raised-with-preconceived-notions-of-the/) [Sandra Bullock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bullock/) [Browse all 4,912 Decision making quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To be free in the republican sense, people must have adequate resources enabling them to make reasonable choices, whatever the preferences and opinions of others. And full freedom requires that others are aware of this freedom and thus cannot look down on someone in pity or contempt. Freedom must mean neutrality towards individual decision making, not a carefully constructed, devious, non-transparent edifice of devices to induce norm-driven behaviour, however benevolent the intention. This clearly justifies a basic income, and combats the pernicious notion of the beggar, a ‘stigmatized petitioner’. Part of the republican tradition, associated with Hannah Arendt as well as Aristotle, also embraces the idea of ‘associational freedom’ – the ability and opportunity to act in concert as a group. Associational freedom has been under relentless attack by the neo-liberal state, for the simple reason that ‘associations’ can be portrayed as opposed to market forces and as distorting them. A republic is conceivable only if everybody is in the company of equally self-confident people free of existential fear. 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