--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: all living things are manipulated as long…" description: "\"“all living things are manipulated as long as there is a will, it is bent and twisted constantly. Only the dead are allowed the luxury of freedom, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/orson-scott-card-134_freedom_all-living-things-are-manipulated-as-lon_623510.png" --- # all living things are manipulated as long as there is a… ![“all living things are manipulated as long as there is a will, it is bent and twisted constantly. Only the dead are allowed the luxury of freedom, and then only because they want nothing, and therefore can't be thwarted.” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/orson-scott-card-134_freedom_all-living-things-are-manipulated-as-lon_623510.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/orson-scott-card-134_freedom_all-living-things-are-manipulated-as-lon_623510.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/orson-scott-card-134_freedom_all-living-things-are-manipulated-as-lon_623510.png) > ““all living things are manipulated as long as there is a will, it is bent and twisted constantly. Only the dead are allowed the luxury of freedom, and then only because they want nothing, and therefore can't be thwarted.”” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power and control shape all living beings; only the dead, lacking desire, are truly free. **In simple terms:** Control limits life; death frees from desire. Key Takeaway Recognize how desire drives control. Themes power control freedom death desire Mood thoughtful somber reflective Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - political analysis - personal reflection - ethical debates - social critique Key Concepts philosophy psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does desire affect your sense of freedom? - Can you find freedom without desire? A Different Perspective Even the dead can be influenced through memory or legacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-things/) ## Related quotes > [I merely observe that all living things are manipulated. As long as there is a will, it is bent and twisted constantly. Only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-merely-observe-that-all-living-things-are-manipulated-as-long-as/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [In the early 1970s, phone phreaks manipulated the long-distance system using blue boxes that they built from sketchy photocopied schematics that were often riddled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-platt/in-the-early-1970s-phone-phreaks-manipulated-the-long-distance-system/) [Charles Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-platt/) > [“Dead, but not allowed to die. Alive, but as good as dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/dead-but-not-allowed-to-die-alive-but-as-good-as-dead/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Trapped for days, years, centuries maybe. Dead, but not allowed to die. Alive, but as good as dead. So alone that anyone, anything no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/trapped-for-days-years-centuries-maybe-dead-but-not-allowed-to-die/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“Whatever secrets the dead take with them, they should be allowed to keep. That's my new philosophy. Or put another way: the time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maine/whatever-secrets-the-dead-take-with-them-they-should-be-allowed-to/) David Maine > [“I want God, I want poetry, I want danger, I want freedom, I want sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/i-want-god-i-want-poetry-i-want-danger-i-want-freedom-i-want-sin/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“When there is a problem in the world, we say "What are they going to do about it". At which point they, who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/when-there-is-a-problem-in-the-world-we-say-what-are-they-going-to-do/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [Being a recognised face has its problems. I miss the freedom to go anywhere I want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/being-a-recognised-face-has-its-problems-i-miss-the-freedom-to-go/) [Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/) > [I can do whatever I want, I can have my band, I can use different people, I can use studio players, it's complete, total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-patrick/i-can-do-whatever-i-want-i-can-have-my-band-i-can-use-different/) [Richard Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-patrick/) > [We have to call it "freedom": who'd want to die for "a lesser tyranny"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/we-have-to-call-it-freedom-who-d-want-to-die-for-a-lesser-tyranny/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [Success is the freedom to do what you want, with whom you want, when you want, wherever you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-stevens/success-is-the-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-with-whom-you-want-when/) [Conan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-stevens/) > [The biggest thing the money Infosys brought me is the freedom to do what I want. And what I want is to give millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nandan-nilekani/the-biggest-thing-the-money-infosys-brought-me-is-the-freedom-to-do/) [Nandan Nilekani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nandan-nilekani/) > [“If this is freedom, do I want it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-this-is-freedom-do-i-want-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [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/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? 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The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) [Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## 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. 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