---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who have no hold over their…"
description: "\"People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought become..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg"
---

#  People who have no hold over their process of thinking are…

![“People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought becomes a method of converting men into animals.” quote by Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg)

> “People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought becomes a method of converting men into animals.”

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Uncontrolled thought leads to chaos; immature minds misuse freedom, becoming animalistic.

**In simple terms:** Uncontrolled thought can degrade humanity.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate disciplined thinking.

Themes

freedom thought civilization

Mood

thoughtful cautionary

Type

philosophical social commentary

When to use this quote

- education
- public policy
- media consumption
- personal development

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can societies balance liberty and responsibility?
- What practices foster mature thought?

A Different Perspective

Freedom without guidance can cause harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Immature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immature/) [Immature Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immature-liberty-3620684/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Liberty Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty-thought-526207/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/method/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Ruined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruined/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought Immature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-immature-3620685/) [Thought Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-thought/)

## Related quotes

> [Indian religion has always felt that since the minds, the temperaments and the intellectual affinities of men are unlimited in their variety, a perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/indian-religion-has-always-felt-that-since-the-minds-the-temperaments/)

[Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/)

> [Liberty of thought is the life of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/liberty-of-thought-is-the-life-of-the-soul/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Liberty of thought soon shrivels without freedom of expression. Nor can truth be pursued in an atmosphere hostile to the endeavor or under dangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/liberty-of-thought-soon-shrivels-without-freedom-of-expression-nor/)

[Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/)

> [Our homeland is the whole world. Our law is liberty. We have but one thought, revolution in our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-fo/our-homeland-is-the-whole-world-our-law-is-liberty-we-have-but-one/)

[Dario Fo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-fo/)

> [Literature is doomed if liberty of thought perishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/literature-is-doomed-if-liberty-of-thought-perishes/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Liberty of thought means liberty to communicate one's thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-de-madariaga/liberty-of-thought-means-liberty-to-communicate-one-s-thought/)

[Salvador de Madariaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-de-madariaga/)

> [“There can be no liberty of thought unless it is ready to unsettle what has recently been settled, as well as what has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-can-be-no-liberty-of-thought-unless-it-is-ready-to-unsettle/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Perhaps his taciturnity hid a contempt for the human race which had abandoned the great dreams of his youth and now wallowed in sluggish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perhaps-his-taciturnity-hid-a-contempt-for-the-human-race-which-had/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“people who have no hold over their process of thinking ara likely to be ruined by liberty of thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allama-iqbal/people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-process-of-thinking-ara-likely-to/)

[Allama Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allama-iqbal/)

> [Life without Liberty is like a body without spirit. Liberty without thought is like a disturbed spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/life-without-liberty-is-like-a-body-without-spirit-liberty-without/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [ “\[...\] perhaps these thirty years of revolution had taught him that men are unfit for liberty, and he thought that he had spent his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perhaps-these-thirty-years-of-revolution-had-taught-him-that-men-are/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Liberty in thought and action is the only condition of life, growth and well-being: Where it does not exist, the man, the race, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/liberty-in-thought-and-action-is-the-only-condition-of-life-growth/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As liberty of thought is absolute, so is liberty of speech, which is 'inseparable' from the liberty of thought. Liberty of speech, moreover, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/as-liberty-of-thought-is-absolute-so-is-liberty-of-speech-which-is/)

[Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/)

> [“Notwithstanding the fact that infidels in all ages have battled for the rights of man, and have at all times been the fearless advocates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/notwithstanding-the-fact-that-infidels-in-all-ages-have-battled-for/)

[Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/)

> [A private man has always the liberty (because thought is free) to believe or not believe in his heart those acts that have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/a-private-man-has-always-the-liberty-because-thought-is-free-to/)

[Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/)

## More by Muhammad Iqbal

> [Since love first made the breast an instrument Of fierce lamenting, by its flame my heart Was molten to a mirror, like a rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/since-love-first-made-the-breast-an-instrument-of-fierce-lamenting-by/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [The Ego is partly free. partly determined, and reaches fuller freedom by approaching the Individual who is most free: God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/the-ego-is-partly-free-partly-determined-and-reaches-fuller-freedom/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [I lead no party; I follow no leader. I have given the best part of my life to careful study of Islam, its law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/i-lead-no-party-i-follow-no-leader-i-have-given-the-best-part-of-my/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [We have strayed away from God, and He is in quest of us; Like us, He is humble and is a prisoner of desire:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/we-have-strayed-away-from-god-and-he-is-in-quest-of-us-like-us-he-is/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [Art: If the object of poetry is, to make men, then poetry is the heir of prophecy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/art-if-the-object-of-poetry-is-to-make-men-then-poetry-is-the-heir-of/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [I, therefore, demand the formation of a consolidated Muslim State in the best interest of India and Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/i-therefore-demand-the-formation-of-a-consolidated-muslim-state-in/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [From your past emerges the present, and from the present is born your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/from-your-past-emerges-the-present-and-from-the-present-is-born-your/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [But inner experience is only one source of human knowledge. But inner experience is only one source of human knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/but-inner-experience-is-only-one-source-of-human-knowledge-but-inner/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [The soul is neither inside nor outside the body; neither proximate to nor separate from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/the-soul-is-neither-inside-nor-outside-the-body-neither-proximate-to/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [The immediacy of mystic experience simply means that we know God just as we know other objects. God is not a mathematical entity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/the-immediacy-of-mystic-experience-simply-means-that-we-know-god-just/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [Sexual self-restraint was only a preliminary stage in the ego's evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/sexual-self-restraint-was-only-a-preliminary-stage-in-the-ego-s/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [I have already indicated to you the meaning of the word religion, as applied to Islam. The truth is that Islam is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/i-have-already-indicated-to-you-the-meaning-of-the-word-religion-as/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [I have never considered myself a poet. Therefore, I am not a rival of anyone, and I do not consider anybody my rival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/i-have-never-considered-myself-a-poet-therefore-i-am-not-a-rival-of/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [Life is a struggle and not a matter of privilege. It is nothing but one's knowledge of the temporal and the spiritual world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/life-is-a-struggle-and-not-a-matter-of-privilege-it-is-nothing-but/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [It cannot be denied that Islam, regarded as an ethical ideal plus a certain kind of polity - by which expression I mean a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/it-cannot-be-denied-that-islam-regarded-as-an-ethical-ideal-plus-a/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

[Explore all 91 Muhammad Iqbal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

## 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": "People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature, liberty of thought becomes a method of converting men into animals.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Muhammad Iqbal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-process-of-thinking-are-likely-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Freedom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-process-of-thinking-are-likely-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/496/muhammad-iqbal-7379_freedom_people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-proce_2015266.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If…” — Muhammad Iqbal",
                "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": "Muhammad Iqbal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People who have no hold over...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-process-of-thinking-are-likely-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/people-who-have-no-hold-over-their-process-of-thinking-are-likely-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
