--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Creativity can be a social contribution…" description: "\"Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.\" — Richard Stallman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png" --- # Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so… ![“Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.” quote by Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png) > “Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.” [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity benefits society only when the results can be freely used by all, linking innovation to openness. **In simple terms:** Creative work helps society if it's freely usable. Key Takeaway Promote open access to creations. Themes freedom creativity society technology Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - software development - educational resources - public domain works Key Concepts open source intellectual property social good Questions to Reflect On - How does openness affect profit? - What barriers prevent free use? A Different Perspective Open access may limit commercial incentives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [If a brand genuinely wants to make a social contribution, it should start with who they are, not what they do. For only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/if-a-brand-genuinely-wants-to-make-a-social-contribution-it-should/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [I love the creativity and the social and political aspects of drag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/i-love-the-creativity-and-the-social-and-political-aspects-of-drag/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [Time is priceless, but its Free. You can't own it, you can use it. You can spend it. But you can't keep it. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zahid/time-is-priceless-but-its-free-you-can-t-own-it-you-can-use-it-you/) [Zahid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zahid/) > [“Words are funny things - They are free until you use them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlenne-susan-girard/words-are-funny-things-they-are-free-until-you-use-them/) [Darlenne Susan Girard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darlenne-susan-girard/) > [I am free to use my money the way I see fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-dinwiddie/i-am-free-to-use-my-money-the-way-i-see-fit/) [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-dinwiddie/) > [“Time is priceless, but it’s Free. You can't own it, you can use it. You can spend it. But you can't keep it. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/time-is-priceless-but-it-s-free-you-can-t-own-it-you-can-use-it-you/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [When advice is freely given, the receiver is free to use it as he or she sees fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/when-advice-is-freely-given-the-receiver-is-free-to-use-it-as-he-or/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [Free Will … Use it or Loose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-stark/free-will-use-it-or-loose-it/) [Marv Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-stark/) > [As an artist you are free to use any image, any style, any idea from any culture and any period of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/as-an-artist-you-are-free-to-use-any-image-any-style-any-idea-from/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [I believe that one of the most important institutions in a democratic society is a free press.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-believe-that-one-of-the-most-important-institutions-in-a-democratic/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [“An anarchist society is by definition a Free Society, but a Free Society is not necessarily Anarchist. It might fall short in several respects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-meltzer/an-anarchist-society-is-by-definition-a-free-society-but-a-free/) [Albert Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-meltzer/) > [“No matter how silly I think it all is, society is still society and we are not free of the burdens of hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-palmieri/no-matter-how-silly-i-think-it-all-is-society-is-still-society-and-we/) [Suzanne Palmieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-palmieri/) > [One cannot live in society and be free from society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/one-cannot-live-in-society-and-be-free-from-society/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“Pop art: only possible in an affluent society, where one can be free to enjoy ironic consumption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/pop-art-only-possible-in-an-affluent-society-where-one-can-be-free-to/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I want a society free of human trafficking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuradha-koirala/i-want-a-society-free-of-human-trafficking/) Anuradha Koirala ## More by Richard Stallman > [All governments should be pressured to correct their abuses of human rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/all-governments-should-be-pressured-to-correct-their-abuses-of-human/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [I consider that the Golden Rule requires that if I like a program I must share it with other people who like it. Software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/i-consider-that-the-golden-rule-requires-that-if-i-like-a-program-i/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Think 'free speech,' not 'free beer.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/think-free-speech-not-free-beer/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be very very glad… DON'T buy a parrot figuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/if-you-can-find-a-host-for-me-that-has-a-friendly-parrot-i-will-be/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Sharing is good, and with digital technology, sharing is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/sharing-is-good-and-with-digital-technology-sharing-is-easy/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [In the US, you even lose legal rights if you store your data in a company's machines instead of your own. The police need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/in-the-us-you-even-lose-legal-rights-if-you-store-your-data-in-a/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [EMACS could not have been reached by a process of careful design, because such processes arrive only at goals which are visible at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/emacs-could-not-have-been-reached-by-a-process-of-careful-design/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [A hacker is someone who enjoys playful cleverness—not necessarily with computers. The programmers in the old MIT free software community of the 60s and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/a-hacker-is-someone-who-enjoys-playful-cleverness-not-necessarily/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [When I launched the development of the GNU system, I explicitly said the purpose of developing this system is so we can use our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/when-i-launched-the-development-of-the-gnu-system-i-explicitly-said/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Writing non-free software is not an ethically legitimate activity, so if people who do this run into trouble, that's good! All businesses based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/writing-non-free-software-is-not-an-ethically-legitimate-activity-so/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [In essence, Chrome OS is the GNU/Linux operating system. However, it is delivered without the usual applications, and rigged up to impede and discourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/in-essence-chrome-os-is-the-gnu-linux-operating-system-however-it-is/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [If in my lifetime the problem of non-free software is solved, I could perhaps relax and write software again. But I might instead try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/if-in-my-lifetime-the-problem-of-non-free-software-is-solved-i-could/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Now that corporations dominate society and write the laws, each advance or change in technology is an opening for them to further restrict or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/now-that-corporations-dominate-society-and-write-the-laws-each/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [The idea of free software is that users of computing deserve freedom. They deserve in particular to have control over their computing. And proprietary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/the-idea-of-free-software-is-that-users-of-computing-deserve-freedom/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) > [Android is a major step towards an ethical, user-controlled, free-software portable phone, but there is a long way to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/android-is-a-major-step-towards-an-ethical-user-controlled-free/) [Richard Stallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) [Explore all 117 Richard Stallman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/) ## More Contribution quotes > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. 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Almost every band that made it big in the Nineties owed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-love-black-sabbath-they-made-an-amazing-contribution-to-music-today/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world's present warming trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-still-zero-empirical-evidence-that-anthropogenic-production/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-way-a-culture-treats-women-in-birth-is-a-good-indicator-of-how/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [The excellence of this important contribution to genre literature CANNOT be overstated A masterwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-nolan/the-excellence-of-this-important-contribution-to-genre-literature/) William F. Nolan > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Fundamentally transforming the foundations of the economy is the biggest contribution we can make towards building a sustainable future. The current economic crisis may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-porritt/fundamentally-transforming-the-foundations-of-the-economy-is-the/) [Jonathon Porritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathon-porritt/) > [I think self-deprecation is such a disease, and I want to cure everybody of it and so that's my contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-think-self-deprecation-is-such-a-disease-and-i-want-to-cure/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [It is in the measure that special methods acknowledge their common core in transcendental method, that norms common to all the sciences will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/it-is-in-the-measure-that-special-methods-acknowledge-their-common/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-were-almost-never-able-to/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Replace your pursuit of success with the pursuit of contribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/replace-your-pursuit-of-success-with-the-pursuit-of-contribution/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [There is no art or science that is too difficult for industry to attain to; it is the gift of tongues, and makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/there-is-no-art-or-science-that-is-too-difficult-for-industry-to/) [Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hyde-1st-earl-of-clarendon/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 1,297 Contribution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Stallman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution-but-only-in-so-far-as-society/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contribution" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution-but-only-in-so-far-as-society/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/richard-stallman-4048_contribution_creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution_2332247.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Creativity can be a social contribution, but only in so far as society is free to use the results.” — Richard Stallman", "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": "Richard Stallman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stallman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Creativity can be a social contribution,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution-but-only-in-so-far-as-society/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stallman/creativity-can-be-a-social-contribution-but-only-in-so-far-as-society/#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 } } ] } ```