--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have never tasted freedom, friend, or…" description: "\"You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.\" — Steven Pressfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg" --- # You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know… ![“You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.” quote by Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg) > “You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.” [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom is earned through struggle, not wealth; steel symbolizes hardship. **In simple terms:** Freedom costs effort, not money. Key Takeaway Embrace hardship to gain liberty. Themes freedom effort valor steel price Mood inspirational reflective Type determined hopeful When to use this quote - military service - entrepreneurship - personal sacrifice Key Concepts existentialism heroic struggle motivation Questions to Reflect On - What hardships have you faced for freedom? - Can freedom be pursued without pain? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering without acknowledging trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-friend-1119540/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Gold Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-steel-2629359/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Purchased Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purchased-gold-2858139/) [Spokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spokes/) [Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steel/) [Tasted Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tasted-freedom-778013/) ## Related quotes > [“You have never tasted freedom, friend,” Dienekes spoke, “or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.” Pressfield, Steven (2007-01-30). Gates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-dienekes-spoke-or-you-would-know/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [You have never tasted freedom, friend," Dienekes spoke, "or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-dienekes-spoke-or-you-would-know-2/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Some maladies are rich and precious and only to be acquired by the right of inheritance or purchased with gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/some-maladies-are-rich-and-precious-and-only-to-be-acquired-by-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [It is surely one of the strangest of our propensities to mark out those we love best for the worst usage; yet we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/it-is-surely-one-of-the-strangest-of-our-propensities-to-mark-out/) [Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/) > [Freedom, my friend, can only be found in His grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/freedom-my-friend-can-only-be-found-in-his-grace/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [If we take the freedom to put a friend under our microscope, we thereby insulate him from many of his true relations, magnify his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/if-we-take-the-freedom-to-put-a-friend-under-our-microscope-we/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“You have stood at this junction before You will stand at this junction again And if you pause you can ask yourself Which way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/you-have-stood-at-this-junction-before-you-will-stand-at-this/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“Will this be my life forevermore? Careful tea parties and the quiet fear that I don't belong, that I'm a fraud? I held magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/will-this-be-my-life-forevermore-careful-tea-parties-and-the-quiet/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“He couldn’t look back at the children. He couldn’t think of it. All he could do was watch the eyes of his wife. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-a-marks/he-couldn-t-look-back-at-the-children-he-couldn-t-think-of-it-all-he/) [Rachel A. Marks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-a-marks/) > [Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/once-you-ve-tasted-freedom-it-stays-in-your-heart/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [“Maybe I should be still; accept my fate. But I have tasted freedom, known love – I have had choice and learnt what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/maybe-i-should-be-still-accept-my-fate-but-i-have-tasted-freedom/) [Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/) > [The Egyptians have grown in confidence, they've tasted freedom, and there's no way back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/the-egyptians-have-grown-in-confidence-they-ve-tasted-freedom-and/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Once you've tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/once-you-ve-tasted-freedom-it-stays-in-your-heart-and-no-one-can-take/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I tasted freedom and I really liked it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lynott/i-tasted-freedom-and-i-really-liked-it/) [Phil Lynott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lynott/) > [Once a man has tasted freedom he will never be content to be a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/once-a-man-has-tasted-freedom-he-will-never-be-content-to-be-a-slave-2/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) ## More by Steven Pressfield > [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“The artist and the fundamentalist both confront the same issue, the mystery of their existence as individuals. Each asks the same questions: Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-and-the-fundamentalist-both-confront-the-same-issue-the/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-professional-arms-himself-with-patience-not-only-to-give-the/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The Kabbalah describes angels as bundles of light, meaning intelligence, consciousness. Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying "Grow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-kabbalah-describes-angels-as-bundles-of-light-meaning/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/to-labor-in-the-arts-for-any-reason-other-than-love-is-prostitution/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. You want to savor it, to twist the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-of-dealing-death-of-loosing-another-man-s-soul-and-sending-it/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-is-experienced-as-fear-the-degree-of-fear-equates-to-the/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us... Ideas come. Insights accrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/when-we-sit-down-each-day-and-do-our-work-power-concentrates-around/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Anything that draws attention to ourselves through pain-free or artificial means is a manifestation of Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/anything-that-draws-attention-to-ourselves-through-pain-free-or/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [You are a writer when you tell yourself you are. No one else's opinion matters. Screw them. You are when you say you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-are-a-writer-when-you-tell-yourself-you-are-no-one-else-s-opinion/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: It uses his own enthusiasm against him. Resistance gets us to plunge into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-outwits-the-amateur-with-the-oldest-trick-in-the-book-it/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“I don't need to read nothing,' said the New Zealander. 'I was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/i-don-t-need-to-read-nothing-said-the-new-zealander-i-was-there/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) [Explore all 404 Steven Pressfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) ## 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. 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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": "You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Pressfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or-you-would-know-it-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or-you-would-know-it-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/173/steven-pressfield-696_freedom_you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or_2093435.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have never tasted freedom, friend, or you would know it is purchased not with gold, but steel.” — Steven Pressfield", "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": "Steven Pressfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have never tasted freedom, friend,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or-you-would-know-it-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-have-never-tasted-freedom-friend-or-you-would-know-it-is/#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 } } ] } ```