---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In other words, we are never freer than…"
description: "\"In other words, we are never freer than when we become most ourselves, most human, most just, most excellent, and the like.\" — Os Guinness"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png"
---

#  In other words, we are never freer than when we become…

![“In other words, we are never freer than when we become most ourselves, most human, most just, most excellent, and the like.” quote by Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png)

> “In other words, we are never freer than when we become most ourselves, most human, most just, most excellent, and the like.”

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

## About This Quote

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

True freedom comes from embodying our deepest humanity and moral excellence.

**In simple terms:** Freedom is being our best, most humane self.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate authenticity and justice.

Themes

authenticity justice humanity excellence

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- leadership
- community building
- personal growth
- social activism

Key Concepts

moral philosophy self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you express your true self responsibly?
- What barriers limit your authenticity?

A Different Perspective

Idealism may clash with societal constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Freer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freer/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/)

## Related quotes

> [Whoever makes himself freer and more human in his own existence is doing his part towards peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/whoever-makes-himself-freer-and-more-human-in-his-own-existence-is/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [Real freedom is having nothing. I was freer when I didn't have a cent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/real-freedom-is-having-nothing-i-was-freer-when-i-didn-t-have-a-cent/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [The less I have, the freer I am to do whatever I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/the-less-i-have-the-freer-i-am-to-do-whatever-i-want-to-do/)

[Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/)

> [The more words we are allowed to take, the freer we become. If our mouth is banned, then we attempt to assert ourselves through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/the-more-words-we-are-allowed-to-take-the-freer-we-become-if-our/)

[Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/)

> [You are freer if you have no one to love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishu-sharma/you-are-freer-if-you-have-no-one-to-love-you/)

Nishu\_sharma

> [I think sometimes if you are alone, you are freer because your time is your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/i-think-sometimes-if-you-are-alone-you-are-freer-because-your-time-is/)

[Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/)

> [The more controlled, limited and tormented art is, the freer it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/the-more-controlled-limited-and-tormented-art-is-the-freer-it-is/)

[Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/)

> [To me, writing is much freer than dancing. With writing, you could do it whenever you wanted. You didn't have to do little exercises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/to-me-writing-is-much-freer-than-dancing-with-writing-you-could-do-it/)

[Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/)

> [A kindness received should be returned with a freer hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-kindness-received-should-be-returned-with-a-freer-hand/)

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

> [I was pregnant with my first child during 'Stop/Kiss,' and for whatever reason, the fact that I was so physically uncomfortable allowed me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hecht/i-was-pregnant-with-my-first-child-during-stop-kiss-and-for-whatever/)

[Jessica Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hecht/)

> [The more one does what is good. The freer one becomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feona-kathleene/the-more-one-does-what-is-good-the-freer-one-becomes/)

Feona Kathleene

> [For many years I have advocated 'redesigning Parliament' in a variety of ways - elect the Senate, do away with the 'confidence convention,' permit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preston-manning/for-many-years-i-have-advocated-redesigning-parliament-in-a-variety/)

[Preston Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preston-manning/)

> [I'm very comfortable with men - they're freer and a lot of fun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-hoeks/i-m-very-comfortable-with-men-they-re-freer-and-a-lot-of-fun/)

[Sylvia Hoeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-hoeks/)

> [I know a lot of people feel like they get eaten alive by New York, but I feel it more as a father figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-hynes/i-know-a-lot-of-people-feel-like-they-get-eaten-alive-by-new-york-but/)

[Dev Hynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-hynes/)

> [We are freer than we think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/we-are-freer-than-we-think/)

[Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/)

## More by Os Guinness

> [Too often we forget that the great men of faith reached the heights they did only by going through the depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/too-often-we-forget-that-the-great-men-of-faith-reached-the-heights/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [There are lots of people depending on the government who are good, honest citizens who have worked all their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/there-are-lots-of-people-depending-on-the-government-who-are-good/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [American views today are weak, confused, and divided. On one side, many progressive liberals still think that we humans are essentially good and getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/american-views-today-are-weak-confused-and-divided-on-one-side-many/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [What is undeniable is that when comforts and convenience sap our energies and idealism, inactivity secretes sloth in to our minds like a poison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/what-is-undeniable-is-that-when-comforts-and-convenience-sap-our/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [Freedom is not the permission to do what you like. It's the power to do what you ought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/freedom-is-not-the-permission-to-do-what-you-like-it-s-the-power-to/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [“It is realistic rather than cynical to observe that in a fallen world there are degrees of virtue in relation to what is right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/it-is-realistic-rather-than-cynical-to-observe-that-in-a-fallen-world/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [For the grand and inescapable tradition of western literary classics confronts us with fundamental choices over our understanding of words, reading and art, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/for-the-grand-and-inescapable-tradition-of-western-literary-classics/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [“The story is told of Socrates walking through the market in Athens, with its groaning abundance of options, and saying to himself, "Who would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/the-story-is-told-of-socrates-walking-through-the-market-in-athens/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching committment to faithfulness, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/by-our-uncritical-pursuit-of-relevance-we-have-actually-courted/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [Evangelicalism can only remain evangelical if it is passionately serious about truth and theology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/evangelicalism-can-only-remain-evangelical-if-it-is-passionately/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [“Sometimes when I listen to people who say they have lost their faith, I am far less surprised than they expect. If their view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/sometimes-when-i-listen-to-people-who-say-they-have-lost-their-faith/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [“Neither secular progress nor secular progressives have brought the West where they once promised. Nor can they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/neither-secular-progress-nor-secular-progressives-have-brought-the/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [This is also why it is wrong to treat God as a grand employment agency, a celestial executive searcher to find perfect fits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/this-is-also-why-it-is-wrong-to-treat-god-as-a-grand-employment/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [We human beings are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts that are truly us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/we-human-beings-are-never-happier-than-when-we-are-expressing-the/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

> [Christ is the only way to God, but there are as many ways to Christ as there are people who come to Him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/christ-is-the-only-way-to-god-but-there-are-as-many-ways-to-christ-as/)

[Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

[Explore all 98 Os Guinness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/)

## More Excellent quotes

> [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/)

John Whiting

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-would-rather-excel-others-in-the-knowledge-of-what-is-excellent/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [“I follow the Law—the Most Excellent Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/i-follow-the-law-the-most-excellent-law/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hoberman/david-cronenberg-is-the-most-provocative-original-and-consistently/)

J. Hoberman

> [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

> [President Bush has had an outstanding Secretary of State in Colin Powell and there are not many people who could replace him, making Condoleezza…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/president-bush-has-had-an-outstanding-secretary-of-state-in-colin/)

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

> [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Pete Seeger is a modest, unassuming, cheerful, and kind-natured man. He's a good folk singer, if you can stand folk singing. And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [Many persons have been confused and discouraged at the very outset of the study by the great variety and the delicate distinctions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-staunton/many-persons-have-been-confused-and-discouraged-at-the-very-outset-of/)

[Howard Staunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-staunton/)

> [Mindfulness is being aware of yourself, others, and your surroundings in the moment. When consciously and kindly focusing awareness on life as it unfolds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-thoele/mindfulness-is-being-aware-of-yourself-others-and-your-surroundings/)

[Sue Thoele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-thoele/)

Browse all 1,413 Excellent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In other words, we are never freer than when we become most ourselves, most human, most just, most excellent, and the like.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Os Guinness"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-when-we-become-most-ourselves/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Excellent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-when-we-become-most-ourselves/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/os-guinness-6581_excellent_in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-w_1868401.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In other words, we are never freer than when we become most ourselves, most human, most just, most…” — Os Guinness",
                "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": "Os Guinness",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In other words, we are never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-when-we-become-most-ourselves/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/in-other-words-we-are-never-freer-than-when-we-become-most-ourselves/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
