--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom can never be taken for granted…" description: "\"Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/033/nelson-mandela-248_darkness_freedom-can-never-be-taken-for-granted-e_337291.jpg" --- # Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation… ![“Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. Use this precious right to ensure that the darkness of the past never returns.” quote by Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/033/nelson-mandela-248_darkness_freedom-can-never-be-taken-for-granted-e_337291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/033/nelson-mandela-248_darkness_freedom-can-never-be-taken-for-granted-e_337291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/033/nelson-mandela-248_darkness_freedom-can-never-be-taken-for-granted-e_337291.jpg) > “Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. Use this precious right to ensure that the darkness of the past never returns.” [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom must be actively protected and expanded each generation, honoring past sacrifices to prevent regression. **In simple terms:** Protect and expand freedom each generation. Key Takeaway Guard liberty, honor sacrifice. Themes freedom responsibility legacy Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational political When to use this quote - political activism - education - community organizing - policy advocacy Key Concepts human rights civic duty intergenerational equity Questions to Reflect On - How can you actively protect freedom today? - What responsibilities do you have to future generations? A Different Perspective Freedom can be eroded without vigilance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Deep thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-thought/) [Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elders/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) [Taking things for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking-things-for-granted/) ## Related quotes > [It is our genetic nature as a species to believe as young children that our parents and elders are right. We watch them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/it-is-our-genetic-nature-as-a-species-to-believe-as-young-children/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [“I have sometimes sacrificed freedom in order to belong, but more often I have given up all hope of belonging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-sometimes-sacrificed-freedom-in-order-to-belong-but-more-often/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Sometimes being vulnerable as a child is not knowing what lies ahead. We think our choices will make a huge difference in our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyndi-goodgame/sometimes-being-vulnerable-as-a-child-is-not-knowing-what-lies-ahead/) [Cyndi Goodgame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyndi-goodgame/) > [I have sacrificed my freedom and risked my life in order to expose the danger of nuclear weapons which threatens this whole region. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/i-have-sacrificed-my-freedom-and-risked-my-life-in-order-to-expose/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) > [To truly honor our war dead, we must rededicate ourselves to the cause they sacrificed for freedom and democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-suozzi/to-truly-honor-our-war-dead-we-must-rededicate-ourselves-to-the-cause/) [Tom Suozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-suozzi/) > [While all old people have been young, no young people have been old, and this troubling fact engenders the frustration of all parents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/while-all-old-people-have-been-young-no-young-people-have-been-old/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [No matter how many possessions we acquire, they will not provide us with any lasting happiness and freedom. On the contrary, it is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/no-matter-how-many-possessions-we-acquire-they-will-not-provide-us/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) > [“not heaven and earth and the great seas, not the creatures that live in the water and on dry land, not plants, and stars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-the-great/not-heaven-and-earth-and-the-great-seas-not-the-creatures-that-live/) [Basil the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-the-great/) > [“Suffering sucks. Don't do it. Go home and love your wife. Go home and love yourself. Go home and base your happiness on one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-munson/suffering-sucks-don-t-do-it-go-home-and-love-your-wife-go-home-and/) [Laura Munson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-munson/) > [The worst type of freedom we are suffering from in modern times is the freedom to lead an immoral life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/the-worst-type-of-freedom-we-are-suffering-from-in-modern-times-is/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [And the point is, is it possible for the mind to be totally free from suffering and yet not become indifferent, callous, irresponsible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/and-the-point-is-is-it-possible-for-the-mind-to-be-totally-free-from/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“But if, instead of thinking of these feelings as bad, we could think of them as road signs or barometers that tell us we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-if-instead-of-thinking-of-these-feelings-as-bad-we-could-think-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I think China's view of freedom has to do with material wealth and modernity, and the Dalai's Lama view of freedom is liberation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/i-think-china-s-view-of-freedom-has-to-do-with-material-wealth-and/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [The longing for happiness and freedom from suffering expresses the great natural potential of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzigar-kongtrul-rinpoche/the-longing-for-happiness-and-freedom-from-suffering-expresses-the/) [Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzigar-kongtrul-rinpoche/) > [It is precisely our egoism, our self-centeredness and self-love that cause all our difficulties, our lack of freedom in suffering, our disappointments and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tito-colliander/it-is-precisely-our-egoism-our-self-centeredness-and-self-love-that/) [Tito Colliander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tito-colliander/) ## More by Nelson Mandela > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Especially for those of us who lived in single cells, you had the time to sit down and think, and we discovered that sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/especially-for-those-of-us-who-lived-in-single-cells-you-had-the-time/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/courageous-people-do-not-fear-forgiving-for-the-sake-of-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [As a leader... I have always endeavored to listen to what each and every person in a discussion had to say before venturing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/as-a-leader-i-have-always-endeavored-to-listen-to-what-each-and-every/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Some of the mission groups that have been responsible for our education have not been part of the government. In fact, they acted contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/some-of-the-mission-groups-that-have-been-responsible-for-our/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“I believed that I would become a counsellor to the Thembu king,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-believed-that-i-would-become-a-counsellor-to-the-thembu-king/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [What he means by this is that instead of saying you'll "try", you need to "do". And as we let our light shine, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/what-he-means-by-this-is-that-instead-of-saying-you-ll-try-you-need/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-learned-that-courage-was-not-the-absence-of-fear-but-the-triumph/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [We need to exert ourselves that much more, and break out of the vicious cycle of dependence imposed on us by the financially powerful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-need-to-exert-ourselves-that-much-more-and-break-out-of-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Prison is a still point in a turning world, and it is very easy to remain in the same place in jail while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/prison-is-a-still-point-in-a-turning-world-and-it-is-very-easy-to/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/a-fundamental-concern-for-others-in-our-individual-and-community/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [I am aware of what the position is in the United States of America. If somebody gives to charity, then he gets a tax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/i-am-aware-of-what-the-position-is-in-the-united-states-of-america-if/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It is our duty to give support to the brother leader ... especially in regards to the sanctions which are not hitting just him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-is-our-duty-to-give-support-to-the-brother-leader-especially-in/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of our own people became a hunger for the freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/it-was-during-those-long-and-lonely-years-that-my-hunger-for-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) [Explore all 809 Nelson Mandela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More Darkness quotes > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Strange - is it not? That of the myriads who Before us passed the door of Darkness through, Not one returns to tell us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/strange-is-it-not-that-of-the-myriads-who-before-us-passed-the-door/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/) [anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Even in darkness your lips taste of sunshine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/even-in-darkness-your-lips-taste-of-sunshine/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [“Defy me not for gleam can only shine in my existence" said Darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/defy-me-not-for-gleam-can-only-shine-in-my-existence-said-darkness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What does he look like? 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Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) Nicole Gentile [Browse all 8,219 Darkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Freedom can never be taken for granted. Each generation must safeguard it and extend it. Your parents and elders sacrificed much so that you should have freedom without suffering what they did. 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