--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a doctrine whispered in secret…" description: "\"There is a doctrine whispered in secret that a man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door and run away; this is a great mystery which I do not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/socrates-405_doctrine_there-is-a-doctrine-whispered-in-secret_2414883.jpg" --- # There is a doctrine whispered in secret that a man is a… ![“There is a doctrine whispered in secret that a man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door and run away; this is a great mystery which I do not quite understand.” quote by Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/socrates-405_doctrine_there-is-a-doctrine-whispered-in-secret_2414883.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/socrates-405_doctrine_there-is-a-doctrine-whispered-in-secret_2414883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaa/socrates-405_doctrine_there-is-a-doctrine-whispered-in-secret_2414883.jpg) > “There is a doctrine whispered in secret that a man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door and run away; this is a great mystery which I do not quite understand.” [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that humans are trapped by unseen constraints, lacking the freedom to escape their fate, a mystery that eludes full comprehension. **In simple terms:** People feel trapped by unseen limits. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden constraints and seek understanding. Themes freedom existentialism mystery human condition Mood reflective somber Type philosophical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - personal crisis - ethical dilemmas - career stagnation - relationship conflicts Key Concepts determinism self‑knowledge philosophical inquiry Questions to Reflect On - What unseen constraints shape your choices? - How can you create doors where none seem to exist? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex social and psychological factors that also shape agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-away/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“Man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door of his prison and run away... 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“His voice was so faint that it was audible only to those in the first rows. “I haven’t got much to say, only that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-tilley/his-voice-was-so-faint-that-it-was-audible-only-to-those-in-the-first/) Kimberly Tilley > [“Man is often the prisoner of the culture he lives in. Question your culture to break the prison doors! Question it so that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/man-is-often-the-prisoner-of-the-culture-he-lives-in-question-your/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Modern man is a prisoner who thinks he is free because he refrains from touching the walls of his dungeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/modern-man-is-a-prisoner-who-thinks-he-is-free-because-he-refrains/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [The most difficult secret for a man to keep is the opinion he has of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-pagnol/the-most-difficult-secret-for-a-man-to-keep-is-the-opinion-he-has-of/) [Marcel Pagnol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-pagnol/) > [The most difficult secret for a man to keep is his own opinion of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-pagnol/the-most-difficult-secret-for-a-man-to-keep-is-his-own-opinion-of/) [Marcel Pagnol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-pagnol/) > [“Confidence. The secret to a man's success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-armour-dunham/confidence-the-secret-to-a-man-s-success/) Stanley Armour Dunham > [The secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-secret-of-man-s-being-is-not-only-to-live-but-to-have-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I man is a prisoner of only his own mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawkins/i-man-is-a-prisoner-of-only-his-own-mind/) Michael Hawkins > [Every man is a prisoner, and the greatest irony of all is to be the prisoner of another man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/every-man-is-a-prisoner-and-the-greatest-irony-of-all-is-to-be-the/) [Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/) > [“..jailer is no man to a prisoner - he is a living door, a barrier of flesh and blood adding strength to restraints of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/jailer-is-no-man-to-a-prisoner-he-is-a-living-door-a-barrier-of-flesh/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“What I saw was the Count’s head coming out from the window. 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Failure comes when you stay where you have fallen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/falling-down-is-not-a-failure-failure-comes-when-you-stay-where-you/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Do not go through life like leaf blown from here to there believing whatever you are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/do-not-go-through-life-like-leaf-blown-from-here-to-there-believing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If the whole world depends on today's youth, I can't see the world lasting another 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-the-whole-world-depends-on-today-s-youth-i-can-t-see-the-world/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“I only know, I know nothing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-only-know-i-know-nothing/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-cannot-teach-anybody-anything-i-can-only-make-them-think/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If measure and symmetry are absent from any composition in any degree, ruin awaits both the ingredients and the composition... Measure and symmetry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-measure-and-symmetry-are-absent-from-any-composition-in-any-degree/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Marry a good woman, and be happy the rest of your life. Or, marry a bad, and become a good philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/marry-a-good-woman-and-be-happy-the-rest-of-your-life-or-marry-a-bad/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“For the fear of death is indeed the pretense of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being a pretense of knowing the unknown; and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/for-the-fear-of-death-is-indeed-the-pretense-of-wisdom-and-not-real/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [There is no difference between knowledge and temperance; for he who knows what is good and embraces it, who knows what is bad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/there-is-no-difference-between-knowledge-and-temperance-for-he-who/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Besides, it is a shame to let yourself grow old through neglect before seeing how you can develop the maximum beauty and strength of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/besides-it-is-a-shame-to-let-yourself-grow-old-through-neglect-before/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The greatest blessing granted to mankind come by way of madness, which is a divine gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-greatest-blessing-granted-to-mankind-come-by-way-of-madness-which/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I desire only to know the truth, and to live as well as I can...And, to the utmost of my power, I exhort all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-desire-only-to-know-the-truth-and-to-live-as-well-as-i-can-and-to/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [So you would rather suffer an injustice than do an injustice?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/so-you-would-rather-suffer-an-injustice-than-do-an-injustice/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [The end of life is to be like unto God; and the soul following God, will be like unto Him; He being the beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-end-of-life-is-to-be-like-unto-god-and-the-soul-following-god/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) [Explore all 579 Socrates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) ## More Doctrine quotes > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Doctrine tied itself into infinite knots over the realities of sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/doctrine-tied-itself-into-infinite-knots-over-the-realities-of-sex/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. 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Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Every generation tries to put its doctrine on a high shelf where the children can not reach it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-rauschenbusch/every-generation-tries-to-put-its-doctrine-on-a-high-shelf-where-the/) [Walter Rauschenbusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-rauschenbusch/) > [To forgive and to be forgiven are the two points of holy magnificence and holy modesty; round these two centres the whole doctrine of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-williams/to-forgive-and-to-be-forgiven-are-the-two-points-of-holy-magnificence/) [Charles Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-williams/) > [The doctrines of the Bible are often not clothed in the language of strict truth, but in that which was fittest to convey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/the-doctrines-of-the-bible-are-often-not-clothed-in-the-language-of/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [When members unite with the church, they should not only make a profession of faith in Christ (that is essential), but in light of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-adams/when-members-unite-with-the-church-they-should-not-only-make-a/) [Jay Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-adams/) > [And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/and-after-hearing-what-our-church-can-say-if-still-our-reason-runs/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) [Browse all 1,801 Doctrine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a doctrine whispered in secret that a man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door and run away; 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