--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the one perfume you really want is…" description: "\"“But the one perfume you really want is freedom.”\" — John Fowles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png" --- # But the one perfume you really want is freedom. ![“But the one perfume you really want is freedom.” quote by John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png) > ““But the one perfume you really want is freedom.”” [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uses perfume as a metaphor for freedom, suggesting true liberty is the most desired and intoxicating. **In simple terms:** Freedom is the ultimate desire. Key Takeaway Pursue and protect personal freedom. Themes freedom desire metaphor Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal decisions - political activism - creative expression - life choices Key Concepts existentialism symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What does freedom mean to you? - How do you balance freedom with duty? A Different Perspective Freedom can conflict with societal responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [“It's like living in the Arabian Nights. Being the favourite in the harem. But the one perfume you really want is freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/it-s-like-living-in-the-arabian-nights-being-the-favourite-in-the/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [I don't always like to wear perfume - I really like body smells, that's the French in me - but there's something about putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-rowe/i-don-t-always-like-to-wear-perfume-i-really-like-body-smells-that-s/) [Camille Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-rowe/) > [“The amount of perfume she had on was like a human sacrifice on Incense Night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moles/the-amount-of-perfume-she-had-on-was-like-a-human-sacrifice-on/) Stephen Moles > [“Daniela hasn’t worn perfume in years, but she’s wearing it tonight, and she smells like Daniela without me, like Daniela before our separate scents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/daniela-hasn-t-worn-perfume-in-years-but-she-s-wearing-it-tonight-and/) [Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/) > [“Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and touched the stopper behind her ears. Its cool, glassy edge felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-chang/opening-her-handbag-she-took-out-a-small-bottle-of-perfume-and/) [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) > [I often have a few scents depending on if I'm playing a character. The character may be wearing a scent that perhaps I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-often-have-a-few-scents-depending-on-if-i-m-playing-a-character-the/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [No perfume. Because I want to know how you smell - right off the bat. Don't mask it up. I need to know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-d-elia/no-perfume-because-i-want-to-know-how-you-smell-right-off-the-bat-don/) [Chris D'Elia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-d-elia/) > [I'm always concerned about marketing or commercial philosophies. I can't feel good about having my name on a bottle of perfume that comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-furtado/i-m-always-concerned-about-marketing-or-commercial-philosophies-i-can/) [Nelly Furtado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly-furtado/) > [Perfume is like a parenthesis, a moment of freedom, peace, love and sensuality in between the disturbances of modern living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rykiel/perfume-is-like-a-parenthesis-a-moment-of-freedom-peace-love-and/) [Sonia Rykiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rykiel/) > [I love Serge Lutens orange blossom perfume; my mom got it for me. It's my favorite. It just smells clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gia-coppola/i-love-serge-lutens-orange-blossom-perfume-my-mom-got-it-for-me-it-s/) [Gia Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gia-coppola/) > [Growing up I never had a perfume. I was like oh, one day when I'm grownup and have money I'm going to wear perfume.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/growing-up-i-never-had-a-perfume-i-was-like-oh-one-day-when-i-m/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [Granny Ditto always referred to perfume as 'smell good' and for me it's an essential. I have a sweetheart who's extremely allergic to most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/granny-ditto-always-referred-to-perfume-as-smell-good-and-for-me-it-s/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [If you're buying tomatoes pick them up and smell them-they should have a lovely perfume. They need to be kept at fifty degrees or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-re-buying-tomatoes-pick-them-up-and-smell-them-they-should/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Don't you hate it when you get on a elevator and someone smells like they took a bath in perfume or cologne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jreyes/don-t-you-hate-it-when-you-get-on-a-elevator-and-someone-smells-like/) JREYES > [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) ## More by John Fowles > [I am infinitely strange to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/i-am-infinitely-strange-to-myself/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [I do not plan my fiction any more than I normally plan woodland walks; I follow the path that seems most promising at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/i-do-not-plan-my-fiction-any-more-than-i-normally-plan-woodland-walks/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“The sky is absolutely empty. Beautifully pure and empty. As if the architects and builders would live in all the houses they built! Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-sky-is-absolutely-empty-beautifully-pure-and-empty-as-if-the/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“The evolution of human mentality has put us all in vitro now, behind the glass wall of our own ingenuity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-evolution-of-human-mentality-has-put-us-all-in-vitro-now-behind/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Most marriages recognize this paradox: Passion destroys passion; we want what puts an end to wanting what we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/most-marriages-recognize-this-paradox-passion-destroys-passion-we/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [That is the great distinction between the sexes. Men see objects, women see the relationships between objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/that-is-the-great-distinction-between-the-sexes-men-see-objects-women/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [The craving to risk death is our last great perversion. We come from night, we go into night. Why live in night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-craving-to-risk-death-is-our-last-great-perversion-we-come-from/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [There is only one good definition of God: the freedom that allows other freedoms to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/there-is-only-one-good-definition-of-god-the-freedom-that-allows/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [They looked down on her; and she looked up through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/they-looked-down-on-her-and-she-looked-up-through-them/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Long afterwards I realized why some men, racing drivers and their like, become addicted to speed. There are those of us who never see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/long-afterwards-i-realized-why-some-men-racing-drivers-and-their-like/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [The best wines take the longest to mature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-best-wines-take-the-longest-to-mature/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [But however good you get at translating personality into line or paint it's no go if your personality isn't worth translating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-however-good-you-get-at-translating-personality-into-line-or/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Liking other people is an illusion we have to cherish in ourselves if we are to live in society. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/liking-other-people-is-an-illusion-we-have-to-cherish-in-ourselves-if/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Do you know that every great thing in the history of art and every beautiful thing in life is actually what you call nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/do-you-know-that-every-great-thing-in-the-history-of-art-and-every/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Yet this distance, all those abysses unbridged and then unbridgeable by radio, television, cheap travel and the rest, was not wholly bad. People knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/yet-this-distance-all-those-abysses-unbridged-and-then-unbridgeable/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) [Explore all 341 John Fowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## More Freedom quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [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/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [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/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But the one perfume you really want is freedom.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Fowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-freedom/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-freedom/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/john-fowles-816_freedom_but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-f_414068.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the one perfume you really want is freedom.” — John Fowles", "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": "John Fowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But the one perfume you really...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-freedom/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-the-one-perfume-you-really-want-is-freedom/#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 } } ] } ```