--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom is indivisible, and either we are…" description: "\"Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your self-interests and I am working for mine.\" — June..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png" --- # Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for… ![“Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your self-interests and I am working for mine.” quote by June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png) > “Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your self-interests and I am working for mine.” [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom cannot be split; one must either serve collective liberty or personal self‑interest. **In simple terms:** Freedom is all‑or‑nothing. Key Takeaway Choose collective liberty over selfish gain. Themes freedom politics ethics Mood determined reflective Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - political organizing - community building Key Concepts collective responsibility self‑interest Questions to Reflect On - Is your work serving the common good? - How do you balance self‑care with activism? A Different Perspective May neglect personal needs, causing burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Indivisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-indivisible-1645404/) [Freedom Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-working-911164/) [Indivisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indivisible/) [Indivisible Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indivisible-working-6122387/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [Sake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sake/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-interest/) [Working Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-freedom-4101468/) ## Related quotes > [Law and freedom must be indivisible partners. For without law, there can be no freedom, only choas and disorder; and without freedom, law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/law-and-freedom-must-be-indivisible-partners-for-without-law-there/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Freedom is indivisible. As soon as one starts to restrict it, one enters upon a decline on which it is difficult to stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/freedom-is-indivisible-as-soon-as-one-starts-to-restrict-it-one/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/freedom-is-indivisible-and-when-one-man-is-enslaved-all-are-not-free-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Both John F. Kennedy and Nelson Mandela use the same three-word phrase which in my mind says it all, which is ‘Freedom is indivisible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/both-john-f-kennedy-and-nelson-mandela-use-the-same-three-word-phrase/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I realized that democracy is indivisible, or rather, that freedom is indivisible. There are many clown-democracies in the Arab world, which have nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/i-realized-that-democracy-is-indivisible-or-rather-that-freedom-is/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [Human rights are universal and indivisible. Human freedom is also indivisible: if it is denied to anyone in the world, it is therefore denied,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/human-rights-are-universal-and-indivisible-human-freedom-is-also/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Freedom is indivisible. Whites can't enjoy their separate freedoms. They spend too much time and resources defending those freedoms instead of enjoying them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-is-indivisible-whites-can-t-enjoy-their-separate-freedoms/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want to enjoy it, and fight for it, we must be prepared to extend it to everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-willkie/freedom-is-an-indivisible-word-if-we-want-to-enjoy-it-and-fight-for/) [Wendell Willkie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-willkie/) > [A piece of freedom is no longer enough for human beings...unlike bread, a slice of liberty does not finish hunger. Freedom is like life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/a-piece-of-freedom-is-no-longer-enough-for-human-beings-unlike-bread/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Freedom is indivisible - there is no "s" on the end of it. You can erode freedom, diminish it, but you cannot divide it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/freedom-is-indivisible-there-is-no-s-on-the-end-of-it-you-can-erode/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/freedom-is-indivisible-and-when-one-man-is-enslaved-all-are-not-free/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/freedom-is-indivisible-the-chains-on-any-one-of-my-people-were-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [There is only one decision you need to make: You are either working at your Freedom or you are accepting your bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/there-is-only-one-decision-you-need-to-make-you-are-either-working-at/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [Freedom for the working class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/freedom-for-the-working-class/) [Mother Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-jones/) > ['The Look' is my first documentary, and I enjoyed the freedom of working within a small team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-maccarone/the-look-is-my-first-documentary-and-i-enjoyed-the-freedom-of-working/) [Angelina Maccarone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-maccarone/) ## More by June Jordan > [But, based on my friendship with Evie as young mothers, I started going on freedom rides in 1966.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/but-based-on-my-friendship-with-evie-as-young-mothers-i-started-going/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [I am working never to be late again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/i-am-working-never-to-be-late-again/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [To tell the truth is to become beautiful, to begin to love yourself, value yourself. And that's political, in its most profound way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/to-tell-the-truth-is-to-become-beautiful-to-begin-to-love-yourself/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [In America, you can segregate the people, but the problems will travel. From slavery to equal rights, from state suppression of dissent to crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/in-america-you-can-segregate-the-people-but-the-problems-will-travel/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [We survive our love because we go on loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/we-survive-our-love-because-we-go-on-loving/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [Americans have begun to understand that trouble does not start somewhere on the other side of town. It seems to originate inside the absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/americans-have-begun-to-understand-that-trouble-does-not-start/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [The United States Supreme Court, once a reliable if ultimate recourse for progressive and even revolutionary grievances, has become a retrograde wellspring for enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/the-united-states-supreme-court-once-a-reliable-if-ultimate-recourse/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [My father was very intense, passionate and over-the-top. He was my hero and my tyrant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/my-father-was-very-intense-passionate-and-over-the-top-he-was-my-hero/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [The purpose of polite behavior is never virtuous. Deceit, surrender, and concealment these are not virtues. The goal of the mannerly is comfort, per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/the-purpose-of-polite-behavior-is-never-virtuous-deceit-surrender-and/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [“the motivation behind every sentence is the wish to say something real to somebody real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/the-motivation-behind-every-sentence-is-the-wish-to-say-something/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [Bisexuality means I am free and I am as likely to want to love a woman as I am likely to want to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/bisexuality-means-i-am-free-and-i-am-as-likely-to-want-to-love-a/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [“...love without being destroyed...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/love-without-being-destroyed/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [Body and soul, Black America reveals the extreme questions of contemporary life, questions of freedom and identity: How can I be who I am?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/body-and-soul-black-america-reveals-the-extreme-questions-of/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [South Africa used to seem so far away. Then it came home to me. It began to signify the meaning of white hatred here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/south-africa-used-to-seem-so-far-away-then-it-came-home-to-me-it/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [The thing about genius is it will never yield to circumstances. Genius regards what's given as the beginning of its need to find or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/the-thing-about-genius-is-it-will-never-yield-to-circumstances-genius/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) [Explore all 104 June Jordan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) ## 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": "Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your self-interests and I am working for mine.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "June Jordan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are-working-for-freedom-or-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are-working-for-freedom-or-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c38/june-jordan-5050_freedom_freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are_3232884.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Freedom is indivisible, and either we are working for freedom or you are working for the sake of your…” — June Jordan", "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": "June Jordan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Freedom is indivisible, and either we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are-working-for-freedom-or-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/freedom-is-indivisible-and-either-we-are-working-for-freedom-or-you/#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 } } ] } ```