--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So long as we need to control other…" description: "\"So long as we need to control other people, however benign our motives, we are captive to that need. In giving them freedom, we free ourselves.\" — Mari..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/marilyn-ferguson-4496_benign_so-long-as-we-need-to-control-other-peop_1512240.jpg" --- # So long as we need to control other people, however benign… ![“So long as we need to control other people, however benign our motives, we are captive to that need. In giving them freedom, we free ourselves.” quote by Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/marilyn-ferguson-4496_benign_so-long-as-we-need-to-control-other-peop_1512240.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/marilyn-ferguson-4496_benign_so-long-as-we-need-to-control-other-peop_1512240.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c4/marilyn-ferguson-4496_benign_so-long-as-we-need-to-control-other-peop_1512240.jpg) > “So long as we need to control other people, however benign our motives, we are captive to that need. In giving them freedom, we free ourselves.” [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control over others enslaves us; granting freedom liberates both parties. **In simple terms:** Freedom frees both controller and controlled. Key Takeaway Release control, grant freedom. Themes power freedom control responsibility Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - relationships - politics - personal growth Key Concepts psychology ethics autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How does power affect your relationships? - What does freedom mean to you? A Different Perspective Freedom may be limited by external constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benign/) [Captives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives/) [Control People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control-people/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-free/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-freedom-517794/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Libertarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarianism/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Motive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motive/) [Motives Captive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motives-captive-5569366/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-dogmas-of-the-quiet-past-are-inadequate-to-the-stormy-present-the-5/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-giving-freedom-to-the-slave-we-assure-freedom-to-the-free/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I'm giving you your freedom tonight, Ashton. So fucking take it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-tucker/i-m-giving-you-your-freedom-tonight-ashton-so-fucking-take-it/) [K.A. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-tucker/) > [In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in that we give and what we preserve. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-giving-freedom-to-the-slave-we-assure-freedom-to-the-free-2/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [America takes credit for giving you freedom that you had anyway. It's like going to a wedding and putting your tag on somebody elses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/america-takes-credit-for-giving-you-freedom-that-you-had-anyway-it-s/) [Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/) > [We must clearly understand that when we give the child freedom and independence, we are giving freedom to a worker already braced for action,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/we-must-clearly-understand-that-when-we-give-the-child-freedom-and/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Giving others the freedom to be stupid is one of the most important and hardest steps to take in spiritual progress. Conveniently the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-golas/giving-others-the-freedom-to-be-stupid-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Thaddeus Golas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-golas/) > [If one cannot risk oneself, then one is simply incapable of giving. And, after all, one can give freedom only by setting someone free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/if-one-cannot-risk-oneself-then-one-is-simply-incapable-of-giving-and/) [James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/) > [Becoming a fashion designer is agreeing with the fact that what you experience or what you see as free is also connected to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/becoming-a-fashion-designer-is-agreeing-with-the-fact-that-what-you/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [“I’m giving you your freedom tonight, Ashton. So fucking take it.” I don’t regret a second of it. Not as he flips me onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-tucker/i-m-giving-you-your-freedom-tonight-ashton-so-fucking-take-it-i-don-t/) [K.A. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-tucker/) > [You know, the Emancipation Proclamation was like giving freedom to domestic animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-know-the-emancipation-proclamation-was-like-giving-freedom-to/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“He turned. "She would never marry for wordly advantage." "Yet when she experiences the consequence she gains in such a marriage, she will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-halstead/he-turned-she-would-never-marry-for-wordly-advantage-yet-when-she/) [Helen Halstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-halstead/) > [The perfection of our union, especially our commitment to equality of opportunity, has been a story of constant striving to live up to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/the-perfection-of-our-union-especially-our-commitment-to-equality-of/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [“Love is not about being with the person you love. It's about giving them the freedom to choose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/notjustarandomgirl/love-is-not-about-being-with-the-person-you-love-it-s-about-giving/) [Notjustarandomgirl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/notjustarandomgirl/) > [“Putting down the burden of the lie has meant giving up the freedom of the dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman/putting-down-the-burden-of-the-lie-has-meant-giving-up-the-freedom-of/) [M.L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman/) ## More by Marilyn Ferguson > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/ultimately-we-know-deeply-that-the-other-side-of-every-fear-is-freedom/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [People are seeking more power in the individual and less in government and institutions; they want more cooperation and less competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/people-are-seeking-more-power-in-the-individual-and-less-in/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [You can be more productive, confident, comfortable with insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/you-can-be-more-productive-confident-comfortable-with-insecurity/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Whatever the rationale, the suppression of unorthodox cancer therapies and the sustained persecution of their proponents by government and colleagues runs counter to freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/whatever-the-rationale-the-suppression-of-unorthodox-cancer-therapies/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool, the essence of human intelligence; to forge links; to go beyond the given; to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/making-mental-connections-is-our-most-crucial-learning-tool-the/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [ General Systems Theory, a related modern concept \[to holism\], says that each variable in any system interacts with the other variables so thoroughly that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/general-systems-theory-a-related-modern-concept-to-holism-says-that/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The East contemplated the forest the West counted the trees...the mind that knows that trees and the forest is a new mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-east-contemplated-the-forest-the-west-counted-the-trees-the-mind/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The difference between transformation by accident and transformation by a system is like the difference between lightning and a lamp. Both give illumination, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-difference-between-transformation-by-accident-and-transformation/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Most of us are having to invent, discover, and create the next steps of our lives without a light, a map, or a relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/most-of-us-are-having-to-invent-discover-and-create-the-next-steps-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Cynics know the answers without having penetrated deeply enough to know the questions. When challenged by mysterious truths, they marshall 'facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/cynics-know-the-answers-without-having-penetrated-deeply-enough-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Many artists have said that when life itself becomes fully conscious, art as we know it will vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/many-artists-have-said-that-when-life-itself-becomes-fully-conscious/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Spirituality is a kind of virgin wisdom, a knowing that comes prior to experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/spirituality-is-a-kind-of-virgin-wisdom-a-knowing-that-comes-prior-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Fear is a question: What are you afraid of and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/fear-is-a-question-what-are-you-afraid-of-and-why-just-as-the-seed-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The struggle to make people understand the need for change is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-struggle-to-make-people-understand-the-need-for-change-is-over/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) [Explore all 110 Marilyn Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## More Benign quotes > [The plausible outcomes range from the gradual and benign to the more precipitous and damaging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-geithner/the-plausible-outcomes-range-from-the-gradual-and-benign-to-the-more/) [Timothy Geithner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-geithner/) > [Whereas religions may serve a benign purpose by letting many people feel comfortable with the level of morality they themselves can attain, no religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/whereas-religions-may-serve-a-benign-purpose-by-letting-many-people/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Factory-farm lobbyists are so powerful and so well funded and they do everything in their power to hide the truth about farming. They keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/factory-farm-lobbyists-are-so-powerful-and-so-well-funded-and-they-do/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Fame is indeed beautiful and benign and gentle and satisfying, but happiness is something at once tender and brilliant beyond all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-maclane/fame-is-indeed-beautiful-and-benign-and-gentle-and-satisfying-but/) [Mary MacLane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-maclane/) > [Cultural institutions by and large share one primary objective: herd control. 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On the other hand, intelligence may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/intelligence-may-indeed-be-a-benign-influence-creating-isolated/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Every major player is working on this technology of artificial intelligence. As of now, it's benign... but I would say that the day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-bell/every-major-player-is-working-on-this-technology-of-artificial/) [Ted Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-bell/) > [Of course, I prefer organic farming to chemical-dependent farming, but sometimes absolutist organic prescriptions go too far. I don't even rule out the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/of-course-i-prefer-organic-farming-to-chemical-dependent-farming-but/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [How do you survive living in a cell knowing you are innocent? 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