--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: O Liberty...! is it well To leave the…" description: "\"O Liberty...! is it well To leave the gates unguarded?\" — Thomas Bailey Aldrich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_freedom_o-liberty-is-it-well-to-leave-the-gates_2223730.png" --- # O Liberty...! is it well To leave the gates unguarded? ![“O Liberty...! is it well To leave the gates unguarded?” quote by Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_freedom_o-liberty-is-it-well-to-leave-the-gates_2223730.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_freedom_o-liberty-is-it-well-to-leave-the-gates_2223730.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c6d/thomas-bailey-aldrich-4098_freedom_o-liberty-is-it-well-to-leave-the-gates_2223730.png) > “O Liberty...! is it well To leave the gates unguarded?” [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neglecting security invites danger; vigilance protects liberty. **In simple terms:** Leaving gates open risks loss. Key Takeaway Guard what matters. Themes security responsibility freedom Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - home safety - online security - national defense - personal boundaries Key Concepts risk management trust Questions to Reflect On - What are you leaving unprotected? - How do you balance trust and vigilance? A Different Perspective Security cannot be absolute; trust is also essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Unguarded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unguarded/) ## Related quotes > [Wide open and unguarded stand our gates And through them presses a wild motley throng Men from the Volga and the Tartar steppes Featureless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/wide-open-and-unguarded-stand-our-gates-and-through-them-presses-a/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [O Liberty, white Goddess! is it well to leave the gates unguarded? On thy breast fold Sorrow's children, soothe the hurts of Fate, lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/o-liberty-white-goddess-is-it-well-to-leave-the-gates-unguarded-on/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain. Everyone out there is going to hate you. Never tell anyone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/as-you-leave-these-gates-and-re-enter-society-one-thing-is-certain/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [It's easy to be on the straight and narrow when you in the joint because it ain't no temptation. You don't really got too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti/it-s-easy-to-be-on-the-straight-and-narrow-when-you-in-the-joint/) TI > [“Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/nothing-can-harm-you-as-much-as-your-own-thoughts-unguarded/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [We have perhaps all said things in unguarded moments that we would not want printed in newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-i-jenkins/we-have-perhaps-all-said-things-in-unguarded-moments-that-we-would/) [John I. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-i-jenkins/) > [“I always knew she loved me, but I didn’t need to accept everything she gave me, like her fears that people would let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-feniger/i-always-knew-she-loved-me-but-i-didn-t-need-to-accept-everything-she/) Mani Feniger > [“It is as if we need to be reminded of convention in order properly to appreciate the wonder of being unguarded...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/it-is-as-if-we-need-to-be-reminded-of-convention-in-order-properly-to/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/your-worst-enemy-cannot-harm-you-as-much-as-your-own-unguarded/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [O that one unguarded moment! / Were it mine to live again, / All the strength of its temptation / Would appeal to me in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/o-that-one-unguarded-moment-were-it-mine-to-live-again-all-the/) [Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/) > [Freedom is neither guaranteed nor automatic; not even in the United States. Left unguarded, it can slip away like a thief in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/freedom-is-neither-guaranteed-nor-automatic-not-even-in-the-united/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) > [“An unguarded gaze can spill a thousand secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roshani-chokshi/an-unguarded-gaze-can-spill-a-thousand-secrets/) [Roshani Chokshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roshani-chokshi/) > [An unguarded strength is a double weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/an-unguarded-strength-is-a-double-weakness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“An unguarded comment often proves every bit as valuable as a response to a direct question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/an-unguarded-comment-often-proves-every-bit-as-valuable-as-a-response/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [Never forget that once upon a time, in an unguarded moment, you recognized yourself as a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/never-forget-that-once-upon-a-time-in-an-unguarded-moment-you/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More by Thomas Bailey Aldrich > [No bird has ever uttered note That was not in some first bird's throat; Since Eden's freshness and man's fall No rose has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/no-bird-has-ever-uttered-note-that-was-not-in-some-first-bird-s/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [There is no man at once so unselfish and selfish as a man in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/there-is-no-man-at-once-so-unselfish-and-selfish-as-a-man-in-love/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [I have frequently noticed how circumstances conspire to help a man, or a boy, when he has thoroughly resolved on doing a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/i-have-frequently-noticed-how-circumstances-conspire-to-help-a-man-or/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Everywhere on the Continent, the tourist is looked upon as a bird to be plucked, and presently the bird himself feebly comes to regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/everywhere-on-the-continent-the-tourist-is-looked-upon-as-a-bird-to/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Imagine all human beings swept off the face of the earth, excepting one man. Imagine this man in some vast city, New York or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/imagine-all-human-beings-swept-off-the-face-of-the-earth-excepting/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [The possession of gold has ruined fewer men than the lack of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/the-possession-of-gold-has-ruined-fewer-men-than-the-lack-of-it/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [“..Fell over the prostrate steersman, and there we all lay in a heep, two or three of us quite picturesque with the nosebleed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/fell-over-the-prostrate-steersman-and-there-we-all-lay-in-a-heep-two/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [A man should have duties outside of himself; without them, he is a mere balloon, inflated with thin egotism and drifting nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/a-man-should-have-duties-outside-of-himself-without-them-he-is-a-mere/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Great thoughts in crude, unshapely verse set forth lose half their preciousness, and ever must, unless the diamond with its own rich dust be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/great-thoughts-in-crude-unshapely-verse-set-forth-lose-half-their/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [So I sit there kicked my heels, thinking about New Orleans, and watching a morbid blue-bottle fly attempt to commit suicide by butting his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/so-i-sit-there-kicked-my-heels-thinking-about-new-orleans-and/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [What is more cheerful, now, in the fall of the year, than an open-wood-fire? Do you hear those little chirps and twitters coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/what-is-more-cheerful-now-in-the-fall-of-the-year-than-an-open-wood/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Decoration Day is the most beautiful of our national holidays… The grim cannon have turned into palm branches, and the shell and shrapnel into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/decoration-day-is-the-most-beautiful-of-our-national-holidays-the/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Famous old houses seem to have an intuitive perception of the value of corner lots. If it is a possible thing, they always set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/famous-old-houses-seem-to-have-an-intuitive-perception-of-the-value/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [Every man has within himself a gold mine whose riches are limited only by his own industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/every-man-has-within-himself-a-gold-mine-whose-riches-are-limited/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [The fate of the worm refutes the pretended ethical teaching of the proverb, which assumes to illustrate the advantage of early rising and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/the-fate-of-the-worm-refutes-the-pretended-ethical-teaching-of-the/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) [Explore all 116 Thomas Bailey Aldrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) ## 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. 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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. 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