--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a…" description: "\"Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a present. You can be a free man under a dictatorship. It is sufficient if you struggle against it.\" — Ignazio S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/ignazio-silone-28961_dictatorship_liberty-isn-t-a-thing-you-are-given-as-a_1593133.jpg" --- # Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a present. You can… ![“Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a present. You can be a free man under a dictatorship. It is sufficient if you struggle against it.” quote by Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/ignazio-silone-28961_dictatorship_liberty-isn-t-a-thing-you-are-given-as-a_1593133.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/ignazio-silone-28961_dictatorship_liberty-isn-t-a-thing-you-are-given-as-a_1593133.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d43/ignazio-silone-28961_dictatorship_liberty-isn-t-a-thing-you-are-given-as-a_1593133.jpg) > “Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a present. You can be a free man under a dictatorship. It is sufficient if you struggle against it.” [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom is not a gift; it requires active resistance against oppression. **In simple terms:** Freedom needs struggle, not gifts. Key Takeaway Resist oppression to claim liberty. Themes freedom resistance political agency Mood defiant hopeful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - living under authoritarian regimes - civil rights movements - personal empowerment Key Concepts autonomy civil rights activism Questions to Reflect On - How do you act against oppression? - What does liberty mean to you personally? A Different Perspective Freedom can be limited by systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dictatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) [Free man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-man/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [“Liberty isn't bestowed; it's achieved. It is not a gift; it's a conquest. It does not abide; it must be preserved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-e-bowen/liberty-isn-t-bestowed-it-s-achieved-it-is-not-a-gift-it-s-a-conquest/) Albert E. Bowen > [Liberty isn't liberalism, arbitrariness, but it's connected; it's conditioned by the great values of love and solidarity and in general by the good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/liberty-isn-t-liberalism-arbitrariness-but-it-s-connected-it-s/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [If I want to be free from any other man's dictation, I must understand that I can have no other man under my control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/if-i-want-to-be-free-from-any-other-man-s-dictation-i-must-understand/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [The free man never thinks of escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-free-man-never-thinks-of-escape/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [A free man is he that, in those things which by his strength and wit he is able to do, is not hindered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/a-free-man-is-he-that-in-those-things-which-by-his-strength-and-wit/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/no-free-man-shall-ever-be-debarred-the-use-of-arms/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than to live life as a puppet or a slave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-d-rather-be-a-free-man-in-my-grave-than-to-live-life-as-a-puppet-or/) [Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/) > [Let me be a free man - free to travel, free to stop, free to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-joseph/let-me-be-a-free-man-free-to-travel-free-to-stop-free-to-work/) [Chief Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-joseph/) > [It is Mind which determines the change of Society, and it was because the mind at work was a Catholic mind that the slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/it-is-mind-which-determines-the-change-of-society-and-it-was-because/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [“A port arrival makes you feel so free ...To realize what it is to be a free man, with a world before him;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnaby-allen/a-port-arrival-makes-you-feel-so-free-to-realize-what-it-is-to-be-a/) Barnaby Allen > [“I was just beginning to wonder how long I would have to wait when finally a guard sauntered up and said, “Galloway, get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/i-was-just-beginning-to-wonder-how-long-i-would-have-to-wait-when/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [ The solution to this problem \[welfare-statism\] must take a positive form: the restoration of a faith in what free men can accomplish. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/the-solution-to-this-problem-welfare-statism-must-take-a-positive/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“He is a free man, not because is in a poition of political power and influence that you will never be able to achieve,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-meekins/he-is-a-free-man-not-because-is-in-a-poition-of-political-power-and/) [Evan Meekins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-meekins/) > [“And it was then that the things I've never liked to talk about began. Not that they were particularly terrible; I've no wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-it-was-then-that-the-things-i-ve-never-liked-to-talk-about-began/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never in all their history have men been able truly to conceive of the world as one: a single sphere, a globe, having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/never-in-all-their-history-have-men-been-able-truly-to-conceive-of/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) ## More by Ignazio Silone > [No one can ever write about anything that happened to him after he was twelve years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/no-one-can-ever-write-about-anything-that-happened-to-him-after-he/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [To grow up requires a whole life but to become old one night is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/to-grow-up-requires-a-whole-life-but-to-become-old-one-night-is-enough/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [The State always stands for swindling, intrigue, and privilege, and cannot stand for anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/the-state-always-stands-for-swindling-intrigue-and-privilege-and/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [Liberty is the possibility of doubting, the possibility of making a mistake, the possibility of searching and experimenting, the possibility of saying No to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/liberty-is-the-possibility-of-doubting-the-possibility-of-making-a/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [Destiny is the invention of the cowardly, and the resigned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/destiny-is-the-invention-of-the-cowardly-and-the-resigned/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [An earthquake achieves what the law promises but does not in practice maintain - the equality of all men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/an-earthquake-achieves-what-the-law-promises-but-does-not-in-practice/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [I would willingly pass my life writing and re-writing the same book - that one book every writer carries within him - the image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/i-would-willingly-pass-my-life-writing-and-re-writing-the-same-book/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [Sometimes I'm haunted by the thought that we have only one life and that we live it provisionally, waiting in vain for the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/sometimes-i-m-haunted-by-the-thought-that-we-have-only-one-life-and/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [Fascism was a counter-revolution against a revolution that never took place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/fascism-was-a-counter-revolution-against-a-revolution-that-never-took/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [“In provincia i segreti hanno vita breve. (In the countryside, secrets have a short lifespan).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/in-provincia-i-segreti-hanno-vita-breve-in-the-countryside-secrets/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [The final conflict will be between the Communists and the ex-Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/the-final-conflict-will-be-between-the-communists-and-the-ex/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [Spiritual life and secure life do not go together; to save oneself on must struggle and take risks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/spiritual-life-and-secure-life-do-not-go-together-to-save-oneself-on/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [“How pitiful is an intelligence used only to make excuses to quieten the conscience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/how-pitiful-is-an-intelligence-used-only-to-make-excuses-to-quieten/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [A wrong war brings wrong; so does a right war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/a-wrong-war-brings-wrong-so-does-a-right-war/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) > [On a group of theories one can found a school; but on a group of values one can found a culture, a civilization, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignazio-silone/on-a-group-of-theories-one-can-found-a-school-but-on-a-group-of/) [Ignazio Silone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) [Explore all 19 Ignazio Silone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignazio-silone/) ## More Dictatorship quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The situation with Tibet has to change. China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces. That has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-yauch/the-situation-with-tibet-has-to-change-china-is-one-of-the-last-huge/) [Adam Yauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-yauch/) > [Motherland is our property and we have right to handle our properties as pleased. The jokes about death for the sake of the motherland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/motherland-is-our-property-and-we-have-right-to-handle-our-properties/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [Your best friends are your principles, if you havent them, dont look for another friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/your-best-friends-are-your-principles-if-you-havent-them-dont-look/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“. Despite the considerable horror they had felt when the SA men were bellowing crude anti-Semitic slogans, in retrospect the joke-tellers were very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolph-herzog/despite-the-considerable-horror-they-had-felt-when-the-sa-men-were/) [Rudolph Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolph-herzog/) > [A strong saying is not afraid of criticism, because it includes all the answers to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/a-strong-saying-is-not-afraid-of-criticism-because-it-includes-all/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [The dictatorship of the proletariat and the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist party are indispensable conditions for the triumph of the Socialist revolution and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-and-the-leadership-of-the-marxist/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [I never thought about becoming a politician. But during the military dictatorship, my grandfather was put in prison six times and my father twice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/i-never-thought-about-becoming-a-politician-but-during-the-military/) [George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/) > [ “\[...\] dictatorship, the most extreme form of tyranny, can never lead to social liberation.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/dictatorship-the-most-extreme-form-of-tyranny-can-never-lead-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [In many ways, the media today makes dictatorship impossible. But it also makes democracy intolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/in-many-ways-the-media-today-makes-dictatorship-impossible-but-it/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [“Your law always does more harm than crime, and your morality is a form of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/your-law-always-does-more-harm-than-crime-and-your-morality-is-a-form/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [Something that comes to us, some gym shoe that comes to us as a result of child labor from a brutal dictatorship, where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/something-that-comes-to-us-some-gym-shoe-that-comes-to-us-as-a-result/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) [Browse all 793 Dictatorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Liberty isn't a thing you are given as a present. You can be a free man under a dictatorship. 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