--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is neither guaranteed nor…" description: "\"Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in the United States. Left unguarded, it can slip away like a thief in the night.\" — Joy Reid" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/joy-reid-6005_even_freedom-is-neither-guaranteed-nor-automa_624176.jpg" --- # Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in… ![“Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in the United States. Left unguarded, it can slip away like a thief in the night.” quote by Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/joy-reid-6005_even_freedom-is-neither-guaranteed-nor-automa_624176.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/joy-reid-6005_even_freedom-is-neither-guaranteed-nor-automa_624176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4b/joy-reid-6005_even_freedom-is-neither-guaranteed-nor-automa_624176.jpg) > “Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in the United States. Left unguarded, it can slip away like a thief in the night.” [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Asserts that freedom is not automatic and can be lost if not protected, likening it to a thief in the night. **In simple terms:** Freedom must be guarded or it can be lost. Key Takeaway Protect liberty. Themes freedom vigilance politics Mood concerned urgent Type political call‑to‑action When to use this quote - activism - legislation - public discourse Key Concepts civil rights security Questions to Reflect On - What freedoms do you take for granted? - How can you actively safeguard them? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Guaranteed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-guaranteed-3328059/) [Guaranteed Automatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guaranteed-automatic-5044925/) [Left Unguarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-unguarded-5044924/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Slip Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slip-away-250860/) [Thief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thief/) [Unguarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unguarded/) ## Related quotes > [When we say that the persistence of competition is ensured by fate, we mean that individual freedom is so guaranteed. The one thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bates-clark/when-we-say-that-the-persistence-of-competition-is-ensured-by-fate-we/) [John Bates Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bates-clark/) > [“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/nothing-can-harm-you-as-much-as-your-own-thoughts-unguarded/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [I'm always so raw and unguarded. I'm always open to everything and everyone - or at least try - so I can be vulnerable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soko/i-m-always-so-raw-and-unguarded-i-m-always-open-to-everything-and/) [Soko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soko/) > [“I'm learning to let go of my shields, to take the armors off (they are too heavy anyways) and march unguarded, if ever the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayokunle-falomo/i-m-learning-to-let-go-of-my-shields-to-take-the-armors-off-they-are/) [Ayokunle Falomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayokunle-falomo/) > [Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/never-forget-that-once-upon-a-time-in-an-unguarded-moment-you/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [We have perhaps all said things in unguarded moments that we would not want printed in newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-i-jenkins/we-have-perhaps-all-said-things-in-unguarded-moments-that-we-would/) [John I. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-i-jenkins/) > [Wide open and unguarded stand our gates And through them presses a wild motley throng Men from the Volga and the Tartar steppes Featureless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/wide-open-and-unguarded-stand-our-gates-and-through-them-presses-a/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [“I always knew she loved me, but I didn’t need to accept everything she gave me, like her fears that people would let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-feniger/i-always-knew-she-loved-me-but-i-didn-t-need-to-accept-everything-she/) [Mani Feniger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-feniger/) > [“It is as if we need to be reminded of convention in order properly to appreciate the wonder of being unguarded...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/it-is-as-if-we-need-to-be-reminded-of-convention-in-order-properly-to/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/your-worst-enemy-cannot-harm-you-as-much-as-your-own-unguarded/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [O that one unguarded moment! / Were it mine to live again, / All the strength of its temptation / Would appeal to me in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/o-that-one-unguarded-moment-were-it-mine-to-live-again-all-the/) [Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/) > [“An unguarded gaze can spill a thousand secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roshani-chokshi/an-unguarded-gaze-can-spill-a-thousand-secrets/) [Roshani Chokshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roshani-chokshi/) > [An unguarded strength is a double weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/an-unguarded-strength-is-a-double-weakness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“An unguarded comment often proves every bit as valuable as a response to a direct question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/an-unguarded-comment-often-proves-every-bit-as-valuable-as-a-response/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [“When the brain becomes too tired, the mind stops decrypting the perceptions in our mental world and surrenders willingly to the unguarded moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-the-brain-becomes-too-tired-the-mind-stops-decrypting-the/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) ## More by Joy Reid > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [What White America and Black America wanted and expected from Obama were fundamentally different and opposite things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/what-white-america-and-black-america-wanted-and-expected-from-obama/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If Obama was fundamentally different from prior presidents, Trump seems to violate every tenet of what Americans have long sought as our national image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-obama-was-fundamentally-different-from-prior-presidents-trump/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [In many ways, Trump is both a boon and a bane to Republicans. His insanity and moral decrepitude keep the country focused on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/in-many-ways-trump-is-both-a-boon-and-a-bane-to-republicans-his/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [To be white in America is to assume, with total self-confidence and little afterthought, the personal ownership of public spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/to-be-white-in-america-is-to-assume-with-total-self-confidence-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Dwight Eisenhower presented a face of America that was heroic and resolute; Ronald Reagan represented a return to confidence and glamour after the weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/dwight-eisenhower-presented-a-face-of-america-that-was-heroic-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's affinity for Russia dates back at least to the late 1980s, during the time of the Soviet Union, and it intensified after his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-affinity-for-russia-dates-back-at-least-to-the-late-1980s/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Trump's more outre economic ideas, like repealing trade bills and implementing a massive surcharge on imports, would seem like non-starters in a Republican-led House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-s-more-outre-economic-ideas-like-repealing-trade-bills-and/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Too great a love for the presidency has caused Democrats to neglect state and local politics and to overly prize compromise and a futile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/too-great-a-love-for-the-presidency-has-caused-democrats-to-neglect/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Bill Clinton had a hell of a first 24 months, even though he, like Trump, enjoyed a congressional majority. Scandal after scandal befell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/bill-clinton-had-a-hell-of-a-first-24-months-even-though-he-like/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Whether on guns, race, culture or feminism, there really are two Americas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/whether-on-guns-race-culture-or-feminism-there-really-are-two-americas/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [The sharp differences between the way city dwellers and rural, suburban and exurban residents vote, think and live cannot be papered over by federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/the-sharp-differences-between-the-way-city-dwellers-and-rural/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Even without the euphoria of 'yes we can,' Hillary Clinton is to white women what Barack Obama was to African-Americans. She represents the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/even-without-the-euphoria-of-yes-we-can-hillary-clinton-is-to-white/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [If you've never feared the police - if you don't get a dull ache in the pit of your stomach when you see red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/if-you-ve-never-feared-the-police-if-you-don-t-get-a-dull-ache-in-the/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [Republicans don't vote Republican because of Nancy Pelosi. They vote Republican because they are Republicans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/republicans-don-t-vote-republican-because-of-nancy-pelosi-they-vote/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Explore all 100 Joy Reid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) ## More Even quotes > [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [If you're a top 10 guy you should pay a top 10 guy or even a top 5 guy what he deserves, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljamain-sterling/if-you-re-a-top-10-guy-you-should-pay-a-top-10-guy-or-even-a-top-5/) [Aljamain Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljamain-sterling/) > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [Even after years of observing, a new picture of Uranus from Keck Observatory can stop me in my tracks and make me say, 'Wow!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/even-after-years-of-observing-a-new-picture-of-uranus-from-keck/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [Like in nature, I like things which are based on a few simple principles, even though their manifestation can be very rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabiola-gianotti/like-in-nature-i-like-things-which-are-based-on-a-few-simple/) [Fabiola Gianotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabiola-gianotti/) > [You can't even tell, but a lot of the time your favourite rappers are wearing a bunch of fake jewellery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/you-can-t-even-tell-but-a-lot-of-the-time-your-favourite-rappers-are/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. 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