--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who then is free? The wise who can…" description: "\"Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and despising the ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/horace-172_appetite_who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-comman_68822.jpg" --- # Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions… ![“Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and despising the honors of the world, who relies wholly on himself, whose angular points of character have all been rounded off and polished.” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/horace-172_appetite_who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-comman_68822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/horace-172_appetite_who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-comman_68822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca1/horace-172_appetite_who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-comman_68822.jpg) > “Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and despising the honors of the world, who relies wholly on himself, whose angular points of character have all been rounded off and polished.” [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## 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 is achieved by mastering desires, rejecting external validation, and cultivating inner self‑reliance, not by external circumstances. **In simple terms:** Self‑mastery yields freedom. Key Takeaway Freedom comes from inner control. Themes self‑mastery philosophy inner strength detachment self‑reliance Mood reflective determined serene Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal crisis - career pressure - social expectations - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts passion control fearlessness character refinement Practical Applications - leadership development - personal growth coaching Questions to Reflect On - What desires limit your sense of freedom? - How can you practice self‑reliance daily? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Chains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chains/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-not/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passions/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Who then is free? The wise who can command his passions, who fears not want, nor death, nor chains, firmly resisting his appetites and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-who-can-command-his-passions-who-fears-not-2/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Who then is free? The wise man who can govern himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-man-who-can-govern-himself/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Who then is free? the wise man who is lord over himself; Whom neither poverty nor death, nor chains alarm; strong to withstand his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-man-who-is-lord-over-himself-whom-neither/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-man-who-can-command-himself/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“When we find that we have been aroused to anger we must call for God's help like the apostles when they were tossed about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-francis-de-sales/when-we-find-that-we-have-been-aroused-to-anger-we-must-call-for-god/) [St. Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-francis-de-sales/) > [A wise man once told me, if you love someone set them free. a wise man never told me, once you set them free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself-jeremy-renner/a-wise-man-once-told-me-if-you-love-someone-set-them-free-a-wise-man/) Myself Jeremy Renner > [“Here is a lesson to you—do not envy the gods; pity us, for we are fixed in our divine function, while you are free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/here-is-a-lesson-to-you-do-not-envy-the-gods-pity-us-for-we-are-fixed/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Men may be born free; they cannot be born wise; and it is the duty of the university to make the free wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-stevenson-i/men-may-be-born-free-they-cannot-be-born-wise-and-it-is-the-duty-of/) [Adlai Stevenson I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-stevenson-i/) > [Talk is free but the wise man chooses when to spend his words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/talk-is-free-but-the-wise-man-chooses-when-to-spend-his-words/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [ A man polished to the nail. \[Lat., Ad unguem factus home.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-man-polished-to-the-nail-lat-ad-unguem-factus-home/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [And take back ill-polished stanzas to the anvil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/and-take-back-ill-polished-stanzas-to-the-anvil/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [Under any religion, the preestablished impersonal code transcends the right of the individual to explore, experience, and marvel at the mysteries of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/under-any-religion-the-preestablished-impersonal-code-transcends-the/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) > [There are 365 "fear nots" in the Bible. One for every day of the year. Today I will fear not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-jones-gunn/there-are-365-fear-nots-in-the-bible-one-for-every-day-of-the-year/) [Robin Jones Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-jones-gunn/) > [Fear is a negative thought in your mind. Supplant it with a constructive thought. Fear has killed millions. Confidence is greater than fear. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/fear-is-a-negative-thought-in-your-mind-supplant-it-with-a/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) ## More by Horace > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [No verse can give pleasure for long, nor last, that is written by drinkers of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/no-verse-can-give-pleasure-for-long-nor-last-that-is-written-by/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Fate with impartial hand turns out the doom of high and low; her capacious urn is constantly shaking the names of all mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/fate-with-impartial-hand-turns-out-the-doom-of-high-and-low-her/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [A word, once sent abroad, flies irrevocably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/a-word-once-sent-abroad-flies-irrevocably/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“Natales grate numeras? (Do you count your birthdays with gratitude?)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/natales-grate-numeras-do-you-count-your-birthdays-with-gratitude/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [ In a moment comes either death or joyful victory. \[Lat., Horae Momento cita mors venit aut victoria laeta.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/in-a-moment-comes-either-death-or-joyful-victory-lat-horae-momento/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - It is a sweet and becoming thing to die for ones country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/dulce-et-decorum-est-pro-patria-mori-it-is-a-sweet-and-becoming-thing/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [ Neither men, nor gods, nor booksellers' shelves permit ordinary poets to exist. \[Lat., Mediocribus esse poetis Non homines, non di, non concessere columnae.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/neither-men-nor-gods-nor-booksellers-shelves-permit-ordinary-poets-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Don't yield to that alluring witch, laziness, or else be prepared to surrender all that you have won in your better moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/don-t-yield-to-that-alluring-witch-laziness-or-else-be-prepared-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Avoid inquisitive persons, for they are sure to be gossips, their ears are open to hear, but they will not keep what is entrusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/avoid-inquisitive-persons-for-they-are-sure-to-be-gossips-their-ears/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [“You may drive out Nature with a pitchfork, yet she still will hurry back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/you-may-drive-out-nature-with-a-pitchfork-yet-she-still-will-hurry/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [There is a proper measure in all things, certain limits beyond which and short of which right is not to be found. Who so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/there-is-a-proper-measure-in-all-things-certain-limits-beyond-which/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Never despair while under the guidance and auspices of Teucer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/never-despair-while-under-the-guidance-and-auspices-of-teucer/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Alas, Postumus, the fleeting years slip by, nor will piety give any stay to wrinkles and pressing old age and untamable death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/alas-postumus-the-fleeting-years-slip-by-nor-will-piety-give-any-stay/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) [Explore all 1,000 Horace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) ## More Appetite quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I have a strong appetite and its not for food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-strong-appetite-and-its-not-for-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You should also eat eggs. Not “one egg per week” or some such non-physiologic restriction. Eat what your body tells you to eat, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/you-should-also-eat-eggs-not-one-egg-per-week-or-some-such-non/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-your-desires-are-not-great-a-little-will-seem-much-to-you-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [When passions and appetites are stronger than the intellect, men are savages; when the intellect governs the passions, when the passions are servants, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-passions-and-appetites-are-stronger-than-the-intellect-men-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. 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