--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who is he that shall control me? Why may…" description: "\"“Who is he that shall control me? Why may I not speak and write and think with entire freedom? What am I to the universe, or, the universe, what is it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/samuel-a-schreiner-jr-135415_freedom_who-is-he-that-shall-control-me-why-may_1254219.jpg" --- # Who is he that shall control me? Why may I not speak and… ![“Who is he that shall control me? Why may I not speak and write and think with entire freedom? What am I to the universe, or, the universe, what is it to me? Who hath forged the chains of wrong and right, of Opinion and Custom? And must I wear them? I say to the universe, Mighty One! thou art not…” quote by Samuel A. Schreiner Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/samuel-a-schreiner-jr-135415_freedom_who-is-he-that-shall-control-me-why-may_1254219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/samuel-a-schreiner-jr-135415_freedom_who-is-he-that-shall-control-me-why-may_1254219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b4/samuel-a-schreiner-jr-135415_freedom_who-is-he-that-shall-control-me-why-may_1254219.jpg) > ““Who is he that shall control me? Why may I not speak and write and think with entire freedom? What am I to the universe, or, the universe, what is it to me? Who hath forged the chains of wrong and right, of Opinion and Custom? And must I wear them? I say to the universe, Mighty One! thou art not my mother. Return to chaos if thou wilt. I shall still exist. I live. If I owe my being, it is to a destiny greater than thine. Star by star, world by world, system by system shall be crushed,-but I shall live.”” [Samuel A. Schreiner Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-a-schreiner-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker asserts personal freedom against societal constraints, embracing chaos and destiny while affirming existence. **In simple terms:** Freedom vs. societal chains. Key Takeaway Assert personal autonomy. Themes freedom individualism destiny chaos existence Mood defiant philosophical Type protest When to use this quote - activism - creative writing - personal decision making Key Concepts philosophy political theory existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What chains limit you? - How do you reconcile freedom with responsibility? A Different Perspective Chaos may lead to instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-universe-1497124/) [Shall Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-control-1497123/) [Shall Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-exist-487770/) [Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou/) [Thou art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-art/) [World Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-shall-383870/) [Wrong And Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-and-right/) ## Related quotes > [Who is he that shall control me? Why may not I act and speak and write and think with entire freedom? What am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/who-is-he-that-shall-control-me-why-may-not-i-act-and-speak-and-write/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I shall love the whole world, But I shall control Only myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mabor-maker-kulang/i-shall-love-the-whole-world-but-i-shall-control-only-myself/) [Mabor Maker Kulang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mabor-maker-kulang/) > [Football is Freedom, a whole universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/football-is-freedom-a-whole-universe/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the night. Although I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caligula/i-have-existed-from-the-morning-of-the-world-and-i-shall-exist-until/) [Caligula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caligula/) > [“So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/so-long-as-there-shall-exist-by-virtue-of-law-and-custom-decrees-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“They shall exist, and so long as society shall be what it is, they will be what they are. Under the dark vault of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/they-shall-exist-and-so-long-as-society-shall-be-what-it-is-they-will/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“On earth, here on this earth, there is no truth, all is false and evil; but in the universe, in the whole universe there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/on-earth-here-on-this-earth-there-is-no-truth-all-is-false-and-evil/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Imagine me; I shall not exist if you do not imagine me; try to discern the doe in me, trembling in the forest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/imagine-me-i-shall-not-exist-if-you-do-not-imagine-me-try-to-discern/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“So long as there shall exist, by reason of law and custom, a social condemnation, which, in the face of civilisation, artificially creates hells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/so-long-as-there-shall-exist-by-reason-of-law-and-custom-a-social/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“Did I exist before my birth? No. Shall I exist after death? No. What am I? A little dust collected in an organism. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/did-i-exist-before-my-birth-no-shall-i-exist-after-death-no-what-am-i-2/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“There will never be a time when we shall not exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/there-will-never-be-a-time-when-we-shall-not-exist/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-existed-from-all-eternity-and-behold-i-am-here-and-i-shall-exist/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [If I shall exist eternally, how shall I exist tomorrow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/if-i-shall-exist-eternally-how-shall-i-exist-tomorrow/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Did I exist before my birth? No. Shall I exist after death? No. What am I? A little dust collected in an organism. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/did-i-exist-before-my-birth-no-shall-i-exist-after-death-no-what-am-i/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I know that I have lived because I have felt, and, feeling giving me the knowledge of my existence, I know likewise that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/i-know-that-i-have-lived-because-i-have-felt-and-feeling-giving-me-2/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) ## 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. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [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/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/) [Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [“No one was more surprised than I to realize that my newfound freedom had been purchased by giving up on eternity and settling for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jessop/no-one-was-more-surprised-than-i-to-realize-that-my-newfound-freedom/) [Carolyn Jessop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jessop/) > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Who is he that shall control me? Why may I not speak and write and think with entire freedom? What am I to the universe, or, the universe, what is it to me? Who hath forged the chains of wrong and right, of Opinion and Custom? And must I wear them? I say to the universe, Mighty One! thou art not my mother. Return to chaos if thou wilt. I shall still exist. I live. If I owe my being, it is to a destiny greater than thine. 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