--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only true liberty is in the service…" description: "\"The only true liberty is in the service of that which is beyond all limits, beyond all definitions, beyond all human appreciation: that which is All, a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg" --- # The only true liberty is in the service of that which is… ![“The only true liberty is in the service of that which is beyond all limits, beyond all definitions, beyond all human appreciation: that which is All, and which therefore is no limited or individual thing: The All is no-thing, for if it were to be a single thing separated from all other things, it…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg) > “The only true liberty is in the service of that which is beyond all limits, beyond all definitions, beyond all human appreciation: that which is All, and which therefore is no limited or individual thing: The All is no-thing, for if it were to be a single thing separated from all other things, it would not be All.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True freedom lies beyond individual limits, in the infinite All, which is not a single thing. **In simple terms:** Freedom is found in the infinite, not individuality. Key Takeaway Seek connection with the universal. Themes spirituality freedom universality Mood contemplative inspired Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - philosophy - religion - artistic expression Key Concepts non-duality transcendence Questions to Reflect On - How does one experience the All? - What practices help transcend individuality? A Different Perspective Understanding the All can be abstract and hard to grasp. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [It offended his sense of himself, because he was an individual from an age of individuals, and a string of lights was, like him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-offended-his-sense-of-himself-because-he-was-an-individual-from-an/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Music should not be a contest, it should be an individual thing that each band is putting out from within themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-schuldiner/music-should-not-be-a-contest-it-should-be-an-individual-thing-that/) [Chuck Schuldiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-schuldiner/) > [“An individual, a thing apart from its environment, and apart from all things in that environment; an individual was a type of thing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/an-individual-a-thing-apart-from-its-environment-and-apart-from-all/) [Samuel R. 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I think it's a very individual thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inge-de-bruijn/well-concerning-the-world-records-that-i-did-i-think-it-helps-a-lot/) [Inge de Bruijn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inge-de-bruijn/) > [No one puts more pressure on themselves than me as far as an individual thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/no-one-puts-more-pressure-on-themselves-than-me-as-far-as-an/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [I think it's an individual thing. Your mountains are my molehills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jena-malone/i-think-it-s-an-individual-thing-your-mountains-are-my-molehills/) [Jena Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jena-malone/) > [ I should like \[people\] to like the purely individual thing in themselves, which makes them act in singleness. and They only like to do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-should-like-people-to-like-the-purely-individual-thing-in/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [True liberty acknowledges and defends the equal rights of all men, and all nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerrit-smith/true-liberty-acknowledges-and-defends-the-equal-rights-of-all-men-and/) [Gerrit Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerrit-smith/) > [“This, then, is true liberty: the joy that comes in doing what is right. At the same time, it is also devoted service in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/this-then-is-true-liberty-the-joy-that-comes-in-doing-what-is-right/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [This is true liberty, when free-born men, having to advise the public, may speak free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/this-is-true-liberty-when-free-born-men-having-to-advise-the-public/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [True liberty is not liberty to do evil as well as good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-winthrop/true-liberty-is-not-liberty-to-do-evil-as-well-as-good/) [John Winthrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-winthrop/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only true liberty is in the service of that which is beyond all limits, beyond all definitions, beyond all human appreciation: that which is All, and which therefore is no limited or individual thing: The All is no-thing, for if it were to be a single thing separated from all other things, it would not be All.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service-of-that-which-is-beyond-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service-of-that-which-is-beyond-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f7/thomas-merton-231_appreciation_the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service_2710914.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only true liberty is in the service of that which is beyond all limits, beyond all definitions, beyond…” — Thomas Merton", "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": "Thomas Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only true liberty is in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service-of-that-which-is-beyond-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-only-true-liberty-is-in-the-service-of-that-which-is-beyond-all/#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 } } ] } ```