--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Losing a belief in free will has not made…" description: "\"“Losing a belief in free will has not made me fatalistic—in fact, it has increased my feelings of freedom. My hopes, fears, and neuroses seem less pers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/sam-harris-457_change_losing-a-belief-in-free-will-has-not-mad_994860.jpg" --- # Losing a belief in free will has not made me fatalistic—in… ![“Losing a belief in free will has not made me fatalistic—in fact, it has increased my feelings of freedom. My hopes, fears, and neuroses seem less personal and indelible. There is no telling how much I might change in the future. Just as one wouldn’t draw a lasting conclusion about oneself on the…” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/sam-harris-457_change_losing-a-belief-in-free-will-has-not-mad_994860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/sam-harris-457_change_losing-a-belief-in-free-will-has-not-mad_994860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f20/sam-harris-457_change_losing-a-belief-in-free-will-has-not-mad_994860.jpg) > ““Losing a belief in free will has not made me fatalistic—in fact, it has increased my feelings of freedom. My hopes, fears, and neuroses seem less personal and indelible. There is no telling how much I might change in the future. Just as one wouldn’t draw a lasting conclusion about oneself on the basis of a brief experience of indigestion, one needn’t do so on the basis of how one has thought or behaved for vast stretches of time in the past. A creative change of inputs to the system—learning new skills, forming new relationships, adopting new habits of attention—may radically transform one’s life.”” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing that free will may be an illusion can actually broaden one’s sense of freedom, encouraging personal growth through new habits and relationships. **In simple terms:** Seeing free will as limited can increase freedom and change. Key Takeaway Embrace new experiences to reshape yourself. Themes freedom personal growth determinism self‑improvement Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - learning new skills - forming relationships - adopting habits - changing perspectives Key Concepts philosophy psychology neurobiology Questions to Reflect On - How does belief in free will affect your actions? - What new habit could you start today? A Different Perspective If one truly lacks free will, responsibility for change may feel ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-future/) [Conclusion Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion-oneself-2061195/) [Creative Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-change-2061196/) [Determinism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determinism/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Feelings Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-freedom-2061193/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Learning new skills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-new-skills/) [Losing Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-belief-2061194/) [New relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-relationship/) [New Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-relationships/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Self improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-improvement/) ## Related quotes > [“Losing a belief in free will has not made me a fatalist - in fact, it has increased my feelings of freedom. My hopes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/losing-a-belief-in-free-will-has-not-made-me-a-fatalist-in-fact-it/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [If the only new thing we have to offer is an improved version of the past, then today can only be inferior to yesterday.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hewison/if-the-only-new-thing-we-have-to-offer-is-an-improved-version-of-the/) [Robert Hewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hewison/) > [As with anything creative, change is inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enya/as-with-anything-creative-change-is-inevitable/) [Enya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enya/) > [“Often the negative emotions are merely habitual ways of thinking that have been given place in your mind over time. 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The freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-special-kind-of-freedom-sisters-enjoy-freedom-to-share/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Change is both exciting and scary. Learning new skills is the same. Having an idea of what to expect emotionally is as important as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-seifert/change-is-both-exciting-and-scary-learning-new-skills-is-the-same/) [Melinda Seifert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-seifert/) > [“When evaluating a new client for degree of independence, I consider four factors: 1. 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Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-m-young/) > [As an actor, you do just start to you learn a lot about yourself when you work on learning new skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-barbaro/as-an-actor-you-do-just-start-to-you-learn-a-lot-about-yourself-when/) [Monica Barbaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-barbaro/) > [I've taken a tenacious bulldog approach to learning new skills throughout my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apollo-robbins/i-ve-taken-a-tenacious-bulldog-approach-to-learning-new-skills/) [Apollo Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apollo-robbins/) > [The correct assumption is that what individuals have learned by age twenty-one will begin to become obsolete five to ten years later and will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-correct-assumption-is-that-what-individuals-have-learned-by-age/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [The only skill that will be important in the 21st century is the skill of learning new skills.Everythi ng else will become obsolete over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/the-only-skill-that-will-be-important-in-the-21st-century-is-the/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [Whether you plan or whether you flow in order to be creative probably isn't the point. The point is to keep practicing to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-perry/whether-you-plan-or-whether-you-flow-in-order-to-be-creative-probably/) [Philippa Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-perry/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Losing a belief in free will has not made me fatalistic—in fact, it has increased my feelings of freedom. 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