--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If my body is enslaved, still my mind is…" description: "\"If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free.\" — Sophocles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png" --- # If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free. ![“If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png) > “If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free.” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when physical circumstances are oppressive, inner freedom remains possible through thought and will. **In simple terms:** Mind can stay free despite bodily constraints. Key Takeaway Cultivate mental independence. Themes freedom resilience mind-body Mood determined reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - prisoners - illness - oppression - personal adversity Key Concepts Stoicism autonomy inner liberty Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain mental freedom under oppression? - What practices nurture inner liberty? A Different Perspective Physical constraints can limit expression of mental freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body Enslaved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-enslaved-5153208/) [Enslaved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enslaved/) [Enslaved Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enslaved-mind-5153207/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-free/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [To be well in your mind you have first to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/to-be-well-in-your-mind-you-have-first-to-be-free/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [Modern capitalism seeks to assure us that it operates according to the principles of free creativity, endless development and diversity. It glosses over its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadezhda-tolokonnikova/modern-capitalism-seeks-to-assure-us-that-it-operates-according-to/) [Nadezhda Tolokonnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadezhda-tolokonnikova/) > [“Your realm is an insane place. In Volaria, no-one goes hungry, slaves are no use when they starve. Those freeborn too lazy or lacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/your-realm-is-an-insane-place-in-volaria-no-one-goes-hungry-slaves/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [“I am free! for I have in me the strength of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-am-free-for-i-have-in-me-the-strength-of-truth/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [ \[Magic\] can guide people to the very edge of reason - and then push them off. Thoughts collapse for a moment and the mind… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-martin/magic-can-guide-people-to-the-very-edge-of-reason-and-then-push-them/) [Patrick Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-martin/) > [When the mind is free of fear, guilt, anger and is more centered, then it holds the power to heal any ailment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/when-the-mind-is-free-of-fear-guilt-anger-and-is-more-centered-then/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [My mind is always free. My mind is flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliud-kipchoge/my-mind-is-always-free-my-mind-is-flexible/) [Eliud Kipchoge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliud-kipchoge/) > [“The Master is not trapped in opposites. His this is also a that. He sees that life becomes death and death becomes life, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mitchell/the-master-is-not-trapped-in-opposites-his-this-is-also-a-that-he/) [Stephen Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mitchell/) > [Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/although-i-cannot-move-and-i-have-to-speak-through-a-computer-in-my/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [What made my mind go free is that I wanted to become an artist. As soon as I said to myself, 'Oh I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/what-made-my-mind-go-free-is-that-i-wanted-to-become-an-artist-as/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [When the mind no longer sees itself as a body, forever in bondage to the body, the mind can be free and at peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-l-jampolsky/when-the-mind-no-longer-sees-itself-as-a-body-forever-in-bondage-to/) [Lee L Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-l-jampolsky/) > [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [I call that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and powers, which calls no man master, which does not content itself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/i-call-that-mind-free-which-jealously-guards-its-intellectual-rights/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Don Quixote followed nature, and being satisfied with his first sleep, did not solicit more. As for Sancho, he never wanted a second, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/don-quixote-followed-nature-and-being-satisfied-with-his-first-sleep/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [All meditations are nothing but efforts to bring you to the present. When you live in the present moment, with no past hanging around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/all-meditations-are-nothing-but-efforts-to-bring-you-to-the-present/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More by Sophocles > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is-free/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is-free/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14f/sophocles-370_body_if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is_1440460.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If my body is enslaved, still my mind is free.” — Sophocles", "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": "Sophocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If my body is enslaved, still...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is-free/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/if-my-body-is-enslaved-still-my-mind-is-free/#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 } } ] } ```