--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be free is to have achieved your life." description: "\"To be free is to have achieved your life.\" — Tennessee Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png" --- # To be free is to have achieved your life. ![“To be free is to have achieved your life.” quote by Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png) > “To be free is to have achieved your life.” [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) ## 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 achieved by living a life true to oneself. **In simple terms:** Freedom means living authentically. Key Takeaway Pursue authentic living. Themes freedom self‑actualization authenticity Mood hopeful determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - creative pursuits Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does authentic living look like for you? - How can you overcome external constraints? A Different Perspective Societal pressures may limit authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achieved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieved/) [Achieved Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieved-life-487212/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Free Achieved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-achieved-4837442/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [I mean there's something I have achieved in life, even if it's little, and if people write about it, then it's fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddharth-shukla/i-mean-there-s-something-i-have-achieved-in-life-even-if-it-s-little/) [Siddharth Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddharth-shukla/) > [If I have achieved anything in my life, it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/if-i-have-achieved-anything-in-my-life-it-is-because-i-have-not-been/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Nobody from my family has come close to what I have achieved in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zareen-khan/nobody-from-my-family-has-come-close-to-what-i-have-achieved-in-life/) [Zareen Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zareen-khan/) > [Be THANKFUL to GOD for every little thing that we have achieved in Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-to-god-for-every-little-thing-that-we-have-achieved-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had to fight for everything I've achieved in my life - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-buffer/i-wasn-t-born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-my-mouth-i-had-to-fight-for/) [Bruce Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-buffer/) > [Nothing I've achieved in my life has ever come about because of alcohol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-mcnamara/nothing-i-ve-achieved-in-my-life-has-ever-come-about-because-of/) [Garrett McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-mcnamara/) > [The only thing ever achieved in life without effort is failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/the-only-thing-ever-achieved-in-life-without-effort-is-failure/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [How often do you wake up thinking about all that you have achieved in life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-julesstar/how-often-do-you-wake-up-thinking-about-all-that-you-have-achieved-in/) [Andrew Julesstar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-julesstar/) > [I am from a middle-class family, and everything I have achieved in life I have only appreciated. I have never gone overboard because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/i-am-from-a-middle-class-family-and-everything-i-have-achieved-in/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [“You have not achieved anything in life if you have not enjoyed the food made by your mom..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/you-have-not-achieved-anything-in-life-if-you-have-not-enjoyed-the/) [Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/) > [“Did I help someone to realize a dream they thought they'd lost? Did I listen when someone told me the reward is worth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-morris/did-i-help-someone-to-realize-a-dream-they-thought-they-d-lost-did-i/) [Carl Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-morris/) > [“Life is not defined by what you have achieved, life is defined by the degree of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-negi/life-is-not-defined-by-what-you-have-achieved-life-is-defined-by-the/) [Shiva Negi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-negi/) > [“My life was a wreck. I had nothing, no material possessions, unless debts counts. Fourteen pairs of shoes that were too small for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/my-life-was-a-wreck-i-had-nothing-no-material-possessions-unless/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [I'm proud of what I achieved there, but a life built on memories is not much of a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/i-m-proud-of-what-i-achieved-there-but-a-life-built-on-memories-is/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [I think that if you walk through this life and I end up being a bad father, then it won't matter anything else I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/i-think-that-if-you-walk-through-this-life-and-i-end-up-being-a-bad/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) ## More by Tennessee Williams > [“Nothing human disgusts me unless its unkind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/nothing-human-disgusts-me-unless-its-unkind/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [These are the intensities that one cannot live with, that he has to outgrow if he wants to survive. But who can help grieving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/these-are-the-intensities-that-one-cannot-live-with-that-he-has-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“Well, you better look out. They got a new bureau in the guvamint files. It’s called U.W. Stands for Useless Wimmen. Tha’s secret plans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/well-you-better-look-out-they-got-a-new-bureau-in-the-guvamint-files/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [People go to the movies instead of moving. Hollywood characters are supposed to have all the adventures for everybody in America, while everybody in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/people-go-to-the-movies-instead-of-moving-hollywood-characters-are/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [They chatter together like birds on Cypress Hill, but all they say is 'Live, live, live, live, live!' It's all they've learned, it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/they-chatter-together-like-birds-on-cypress-hill-but-all-they-say-is/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [You take it for granted that I am in something that I want to get out of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/you-take-it-for-granted-that-i-am-in-something-that-i-want-to-get-out/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Guessing isn't knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/guessing-isn-t-knowing/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I respect a person that has had to fight and howl for his decency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-respect-a-person-that-has-had-to-fight-and-howl-for-his-decency/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/life-is-all-memory-except-for-the-one-present-moment-that-goes-by-you/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Most of the confidence which I appear to feel, especially when influenced by noon wine, is only a pretense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/most-of-the-confidence-which-i-appear-to-feel-especially-when/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I cannot write any sort of story unless there is at least one character in it for whom I have physical desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-cannot-write-any-sort-of-story-unless-there-is-at-least-one/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren't prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such pitiful cases in the South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-know-so-well-what-becomes-of-unmarried-women-who-aren-t-prepared-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“The Jefferson is such a dignified hotel / There is no such thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/the-jefferson-is-such-a-dignified-hotel-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“A drinking man's someone who wants to forget he isn't still young and believing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/a-drinking-man-s-someone-who-wants-to-forget-he-isn-t-still-young-and/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [“As for me, no one will ever love me. But you could get used to me, couldn't you, Jimmy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/as-for-me-no-one-will-ever-love-me-but-you-could-get-used-to-me/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) [Explore all 373 Tennessee Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) ## More Achieved quotes > [By the time you have no difficulties in your life, you have achieved Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brown/by-the-time-you-have-no-difficulties-in-your-life-you-have-achieved/) [Charles Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brown/) > [To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/to-achieve-something-you-ve-never-achieved-before-you-must-become/) [Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/) > [My decision was that after nearly three years at Celtic - with everything we'd achieved and the success we'd had on the pitch, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/my-decision-was-that-after-nearly-three-years-at-celtic-with/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [Now when I watch my films after 10 years, I realise what have I achieved? Nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rimi-sen/now-when-i-watch-my-films-after-10-years-i-realise-what-have-i/) [Rimi Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rimi-sen/) > [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [No doubt the ridiculous politicians are right to like politics. They have found careers in which success can be achieved by being ridiculous. Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/no-doubt-the-ridiculous-politicians-are-right-to-like-politics-they/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [If I can achieve for Celtic what I have achieved for Hibs, then I feel I will have done well for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-stein/if-i-can-achieve-for-celtic-what-i-have-achieved-for-hibs-then-i-feel/) [Jock Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-stein/) > [I can only thank Manchester City for everything they have done for me. What we have achieved in such a short space of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-duggan/i-can-only-thank-manchester-city-for-everything-they-have-done-for-me/) [Toni Duggan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-duggan/) > [The victory will be only entirely and finally achieved when the whole world is free of Jews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-streicher/the-victory-will-be-only-entirely-and-finally-achieved-when-the-whole/) [Julius Streicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-streicher/) > [Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/nothing-great-is-ever-achieved-without-much-enduring/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [You've got to admire Sir Richard Branson. He is a completely different style of businessman to me, but you have got to admire what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/you-ve-got-to-admire-sir-richard-branson-he-is-a-completely-different/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) > [In the end, individual titles are achieved with the help of all your team-mates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-ramos/in-the-end-individual-titles-are-achieved-with-the-help-of-all-your/) [Sergio Ramos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-ramos/) > [Success is not found in what you have achieved but rather in who you have become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/success-is-not-found-in-what-you-have-achieved-but-rather-in-who-you/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Gender equality cannot be achieved by cutting programs that allow girls to get the same chance to compete, learn, and play. The United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sanchez/gender-equality-cannot-be-achieved-by-cutting-programs-that-allow/) [Linda Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sanchez/) > [It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/it-is-only-through-religion-that-communism-can-be-achieved-and-has/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) [Browse all 410 Achieved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be free is to have achieved your life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tennessee Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achieved" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35c/tennessee-williams-745_achieved_to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life_3012520.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be free is to have achieved your life.” — Tennessee Williams", "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": "Tennessee Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be free is to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/to-be-free-is-to-have-achieved-your-life/#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 } } ] } ```