--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Independence is counterfeit freedom. We…" description: "\"“Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can make all our own choices and do our own thing, we will be free. But the opposite is true. By t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/pauline-creeden-39741_creator_independence-is-counterfeit-freedom-we-t_2257484.jpg" --- # Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can… ![“Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can make all our own choices and do our own thing, we will be free. But the opposite is true. By trying to be independent, we are attempting to take God’s place as the ruler of our lives. We can never succeed at creating happiness because we are…” quote by Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/pauline-creeden-39741_creator_independence-is-counterfeit-freedom-we-t_2257484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/pauline-creeden-39741_creator_independence-is-counterfeit-freedom-we-t_2257484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5be/pauline-creeden-39741_creator_independence-is-counterfeit-freedom-we-t_2257484.jpg) > ““Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can make all our own choices and do our own thing, we will be free. But the opposite is true. By trying to be independent, we are attempting to take God’s place as the ruler of our lives. We can never succeed at creating happiness because we are the created, not the Creator.”” [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) ## 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 surrendering control to a higher power rather than relying on self‑sufficiency. **In simple terms:** Freedom is found in trusting God, not in self‑reliance. Key Takeaway Seek dependence on the divine. Themes faith humility spirituality Mood contemplative reverent Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - decision making - stress relief - relationship counseling Key Concepts theology free will dependence Questions to Reflect On - How does trusting a higher power affect your daily choices? - What balance exists between personal effort and divine reliance? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on dependence may discourage personal responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Independence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independence/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [When you're at peace, there's no counterfeit freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-you-re-at-peace-there-s-no-counterfeit-freedom/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“If what God created, wasn't of value, then satan wouldn't try to counterfeit it." From Freedom for LIFE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-everett-smith/if-what-god-created-wasn-t-of-value-then-satan-wouldn-t-try-to/) T. Everett Smith > [“Expect some bumps and bruises when your trying to be independent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-barbarulo/expect-some-bumps-and-bruises-when-your-trying-to-be-independent/) [Michael Barbarulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-barbarulo/) > [The problem is that Americans would like to be independent of the rest of the world ... Except the world ain't that way. Trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/the-problem-is-that-americans-would-like-to-be-independent-of-the/) [Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/) > [Through a huge duration of my life, someone has always picked up after me. And when you're on your own and you're trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/through-a-huge-duration-of-my-life-someone-has-always-picked-up-after/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [TikTok was just a way to display my personality and the inner workings, but I feel like it was hell most of the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chappell-roan/tiktok-was-just-a-way-to-display-my-personality-and-the-inner/) [Chappell Roan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chappell-roan/) > [“304. When you are in prison, you have but one desire: freedom. If you fall ill in prison, you do not think about freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/304-when-you-are-in-prison-you-have-but-one-desire-freedom-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The one thing about America is you have the freedom to think what you want and do what you want without the government interfering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/the-one-thing-about-america-is-you-have-the-freedom-to-think-what-you/) [Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/) > [“The freedom to share one's insights and judgments verbally or in writing is, just like the freedom to think, a holy and inalienabl e…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-friedrich-bahrdt/the-freedom-to-share-one-s-insights-and-judgments-verbally-or-in/) Karl Friedrich Bahrdt > [“What were doctors, lawyers, scientists? They were just men who allowed themselves to be deprived of their freedom to think and act as individuals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/what-were-doctors-lawyers-scientists-they-were-just-men-who-allowed/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Jazz is freedom. You think about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelonious-monk/jazz-is-freedom-you-think-about-that/) [Thelonious Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelonious-monk/) > [“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 > [We are educated. We can think. We have the freedom to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/we-are-educated-we-can-think-we-have-the-freedom-to-think/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [No, I don't believe in genius. I believe in freedom. I think anyone can do it. Anyone can be like Rembrandt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/no-i-don-t-believe-in-genius-i-believe-in-freedom-i-think-anyone-can/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [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/) ## More by Pauline Creeden > [“Some people loathe the act of killing a person at first, but as they continue to do it, it can feel like a game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/some-people-loathe-the-act-of-killing-a-person-at-first-but-as-they/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“When you bring all your doubts and fears to God, you’ll find the reason to trust Him. And as you trust Him, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/when-you-bring-all-your-doubts-and-fears-to-god-you-ll-find-the/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“You have DIED to doing things your own way. You can only LIVE again as you take up your cross, daily, and follow Jesus.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/you-have-died-to-doing-things-your-own-way-you-can-only-live-again-as/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“You are a man with secrets...and I plan to know them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/you-are-a-man-with-secrets-and-i-plan-to-know-them-all/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“It’s better to ask and receive the answer ‘No,’ then to assume the answer is going to be ‘No,’ and never ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/it-s-better-to-ask-and-receive-the-answer-no-then-to-assume-the/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“Let us always praise His name - in times of joy, in times of tribulation, in times of sorrow, in times of victory, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/let-us-always-praise-his-name-in-times-of-joy-in-times-of-tribulation/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“Realize this – your anger with God does not drive a wedge between you and Him. It is your silence that drives the wedge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/realize-this-your-anger-with-god-does-not-drive-a-wedge-between-you/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“A loser is a person who quits. Because if you believe in yourself, and keep trying, even if you fail over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/a-loser-is-a-person-who-quits-because-if-you-believe-in-yourself-and/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“You put up this steel armor around yourself in the form of hostility and disinterest—whichever works to shield you best at the moment, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/you-put-up-this-steel-armor-around-yourself-in-the-form-of-hostility/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) > [“Love at first sight might be fiction, but most fiction has a grain of truth in it, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-creeden/love-at-first-sight-might-be-fiction-but-most-fiction-has-a-grain-of/) [Pauline Creeden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) [Explore all 11 Pauline Creeden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-creeden/) ## More Creator quotes > [It seems an insult to nature and to the Creator to imagine that pregnancy was ever intended to be a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-bisbee-duffey/it-seems-an-insult-to-nature-and-to-the-creator-to-imagine-that/) Eliza Bisbee Duffey > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. I see a planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/like-many-other-scientists-who-hold-the-catholic-faith-i-see-the/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [every being is unique.god neva creates carbon copies,he alys creates originals.he is truly a creator.he neva repeats.but man goes on living in imitation.we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-being-is-unique-god-neva-creates-carbon-copies-he-alys-creates/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Creativity finds its own creator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girish-kohli/creativity-finds-its-own-creator/) [Girish Kohli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girish-kohli/) > [From the 1990s onward, the financial sector created a vast array of instruments designed to separate investors from their money, financial derivatives of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-casti/from-the-1990s-onward-the-financial-sector-created-a-vast-array-of/) [John L. Casti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-casti/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [Changing is not just changing the things outside of us. First of all we need the right view that transcends all notions including of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/changing-is-not-just-changing-the-things-outside-of-us-first-of-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [ John \[Coltrane\] was like a visitor to this planet. He came in peace and he left in peace; but during his time here, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ayler/john-coltrane-was-like-a-visitor-to-this-planet-he-came-in-peace-and/) [Albert Ayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ayler/) > [“If God were the doer, when will there be an end?! (If) God is the creator and he made us, we become his toys,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/if-god-were-the-doer-when-will-there-be-an-end-if-god-is-the-creator/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Sometimes you get the sense that the Creator is getting to that point of "Yeah, we might have to reboot."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-allen/sometimes-you-get-the-sense-that-the-creator-is-getting-to-that-point/) [Tim Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-allen/) > [My wish for humanity is to invent a way to communicate between us and whatever comes next. And in the end that we the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/my-wish-for-humanity-is-to-invent-a-way-to-communicate-between-us-and/) [Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/) [Browse all 2,158 Creator quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Independence is counterfeit freedom. We think if we can make all our own choices and do our own thing, we will be free. But the opposite is true. By trying to be independent, we are attempting to take God’s place as the ruler of our lives. 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