--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should aim to make ours a world where…" description: "\"“We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free to do things they enjoy, even if others are mildly inconvenienced, but also one where we all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png" --- # We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free… ![“We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free to do things they enjoy, even if others are mildly inconvenienced, but also one where we all refrain from harming other people if the effort involved to avoid harming them is small.” quote by Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png) > ““We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free to do things they enjoy, even if others are mildly inconvenienced, but also one where we all refrain from harming other people if the effort involved to avoid harming them is small.”” [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Advocates a society where personal enjoyment is prioritized as long as it causes only minor inconvenience, and where preventing small harms is a low‑effort moral duty. **In simple terms:** Enjoy life freely, avoid small harms. Key Takeaway Choose joy, minimize minor harm. Themes freedom personal responsibility ethics Mood thoughtful balanced optimistic Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - everyday decisions - workplace policies - public spaces - online behavior Key Concepts utilitarianism social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do we define “mildly inconvenienced”? - When is avoiding small harm unnecessary? A Different Perspective Balancing personal liberty with collective well‑being can be complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoid Harming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-harming-4745490/) [Feel free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-free/) [Harming People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harming-people-427447/) [Harming Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harming-small-4745491/) [Refrain Harming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refrain-harming-1425373/) ## Related quotes > [If we can refrain from harming others in our actions & words, we can start to give serious attention to actively doing good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/if-we-can-refrain-from-harming-others-in-our-actions-words-we-can/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [If we can manage to refrain from harming others in our everyday actions and words, we can start to give more serious attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/if-we-can-manage-to-refrain-from-harming-others-in-our-everyday/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“Either harming other people is wrong, in which case God is unnecessary, or harming other people is acceptable, in which case God's admonitions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/either-harming-other-people-is-wrong-in-which-case-god-is-unnecessary/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [Data do not indicate that mandatory minimum sentences keep our communities safer. Instead, mandatory minimums are disproportionately harming people and communities of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-northam/data-do-not-indicate-that-mandatory-minimum-sentences-keep-our/) [Ralph Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-northam/) > [By appeasing the anti-racism lobby and affirming its culture of grievance, public institutions and business leaders are not making Britain a fairer place. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/by-appeasing-the-anti-racism-lobby-and-affirming-its-culture-of/) [Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/) > [To the extent that I considered the personal burden of harming the people who had trusted me, plus the Agency, or the United States,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldrich-ames/to-the-extent-that-i-considered-the-personal-burden-of-harming-the/) [Aldrich Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldrich-ames/) > [To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/to-be-liberated-woman-must-feel-free-to-be-herself-not-in-rivalry-to/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [There is no pressure on me, I can take a lot of risks in the coming weeks. I feel free to ski the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-maier/there-is-no-pressure-on-me-i-can-take-a-lot-of-risks-in-the-coming/) [Hermann Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-maier/) > [I think I'm at my best when I'm on the ball, I'm feeling the game, I feel free, and I'm setting the tone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-horan/i-think-i-m-at-my-best-when-i-m-on-the-ball-i-m-feeling-the-game-i/) [Lindsey Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-horan/) > [“A port arrival makes you feel so free ...To realize what it is to be a free man, with a world before him;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnaby-allen/a-port-arrival-makes-you-feel-so-free-to-realize-what-it-is-to-be-a/) [Barnaby Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnaby-allen/) > [“Free as a bird It's the next best thing to be Free as a bird. Home, home and dry Like a homing bird I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/free-as-a-bird-it-s-the-next-best-thing-to-be-free-as-a-bird-home/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [There's no need to think so much about other people's opinion,you need to feel free in your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianette-carbito/there-s-no-need-to-think-so-much-about-other-people-s-opinion-you/) [Marianette Carbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianette-carbito/) > [“feel free to lie to anyone,but be honest with yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doto-xuyi/feel-free-to-lie-to-anyone-but-be-honest-with-yourself/) [Doto-Xuyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doto-xuyi/) > [So now I have sworn to bury All this dead body of hate I feel so free and so clear By the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/so-now-i-have-sworn-to-bury-all-this-dead-body-of-hate-i-feel-so-free/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“You should feel free to feel how you want and don't think of what people think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-should-feel-free-to-feel-how-you-want-and-don-t-think-of-what/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) ## More by Tim Harford > [“The evolutionary algorithm--of variation and selection, repeated--searches for solutions in a world where the problems keep changing, trying all sorts of variants and doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/the-evolutionary-algorithm-of-variation-and-selection-repeated/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [There's lots and lots of guys out there. The question is trying to find the right one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/there-s-lots-and-lots-of-guys-out-there-the-question-is-trying-to/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [If the whole process of learning from failure means discarding stuff that's not working, but in fact, our natural reaction is to keep going,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/if-the-whole-process-of-learning-from-failure-means-discarding-stuff/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [In many ways, love seems to be totally divorced from economics. But then you realize - well, the stakes are high. This is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/in-many-ways-love-seems-to-be-totally-divorced-from-economics-but/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [I don't think Brian Cox does 'The Wonders of the Solar System' because he believes the world would be a better place if people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/i-don-t-think-brian-cox-does-the-wonders-of-the-solar-system-because/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [Our society is intertwined with the economy that we've built, which is a fantastically complex system. I hope that my writing about it might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/our-society-is-intertwined-with-the-economy-that-we-ve-built-which-is/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [You show me a successful complex system, and I will show you a system that has evolved through trial and error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/you-show-me-a-successful-complex-system-and-i-will-show-you-a-system/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [I think the association of economics with forecasting is unfortunate and is down to the fact that one great way to get an investment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/i-think-the-association-of-economics-with-forecasting-is-unfortunate/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [The more grotesque your boss's pay and the less he has do to earn it, the bigger the motivation for you to work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/the-more-grotesque-your-boss-s-pay-and-the-less-he-has-do-to-earn-it/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [Bill Phillips was this nervous, chain-smoking student. He had signed up to be an engineer, he had gone away to fight in the Second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/bill-phillips-was-this-nervous-chain-smoking-student-he-had-signed-up/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [Loss aversion is a really disproportionate anxiety about stuff that doesn't matter very much. So for instance, if you lose $5, you feel really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/loss-aversion-is-a-really-disproportionate-anxiety-about-stuff-that/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [Cory Doctorow should be too busy for lunch. He's co-editor of, and a prolific contributor to, one of the most influential blogs in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/cory-doctorow-should-be-too-busy-for-lunch-he-s-co-editor-of-and-a/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [Accepting trial and error means accepting error. It means taking problems in our stride when a decision doesn't work out, whether through luck or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/accepting-trial-and-error-means-accepting-error-it-means-taking/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [“Hours are long. Wages are pitiful. But sweatshops are the symptom, not the cause, of shocking global poverty. Workers go there voluntarily, which means—hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/hours-are-long-wages-are-pitiful-but-sweatshops-are-the-symptom-not/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) > [“No plan survives first contact with the enemy. What matters is how quickly the leader is able to adapt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/no-plan-survives-first-contact-with-the-enemy-what-matters-is-how/) [Tim Harford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) [Explore all 53 Tim Harford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/) ## More Feel free quotes > [“You should feel free to feel how you want and don't think of what people think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-should-feel-free-to-feel-how-you-want-and-don-t-think-of-what/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [So now I have sworn to bury All this dead body of hate I feel so free and so clear By the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/so-now-i-have-sworn-to-bury-all-this-dead-body-of-hate-i-feel-so-free/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“feel free to lie to anyone,but be honest with yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doto-xuyi/feel-free-to-lie-to-anyone-but-be-honest-with-yourself/) [Doto-Xuyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doto-xuyi/) > [There's no need to think so much about other people's opinion,you need to feel free in your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianette-carbito/there-s-no-need-to-think-so-much-about-other-people-s-opinion-you/) [Marianette Carbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianette-carbito/) > [“Free as a bird It's the next best thing to be Free as a bird. Home, home and dry Like a homing bird I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/free-as-a-bird-it-s-the-next-best-thing-to-be-free-as-a-bird-home/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [“A port arrival makes you feel so free ...To realize what it is to be a free man, with a world before him;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnaby-allen/a-port-arrival-makes-you-feel-so-free-to-realize-what-it-is-to-be-a/) [Barnaby Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnaby-allen/) > [I think I'm at my best when I'm on the ball, I'm feeling the game, I feel free, and I'm setting the tone for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-horan/i-think-i-m-at-my-best-when-i-m-on-the-ball-i-m-feeling-the-game-i/) [Lindsey Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-horan/) > [There is no pressure on me, I can take a lot of risks in the coming weeks. I feel free to ski the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-maier/there-is-no-pressure-on-me-i-can-take-a-lot-of-risks-in-the-coming/) [Hermann Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-maier/) > [To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context of her own capacity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/to-be-liberated-woman-must-feel-free-to-be-herself-not-in-rivalry-to/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I've always had an urge to feed my need to have fun and feel free. I don't see any interesting alternatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-always-had-an-urge-to-feed-my-need-to-have-fun-and-feel-free-i/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I feel very free and very happy to be a composer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/i-feel-very-free-and-very-happy-to-be-a-composer/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [The white fathers told us: I think, therefore I am. The black goddess within each of us - the poet - whispers in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-white-fathers-told-us-i-think-therefore-i-am-the-black-goddess/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I just Love to Dance. makes me feel Free :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee/i-just-love-to-dance-makes-me-feel-free/) [Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee/) > [I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way. Whatever may happen to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/i-feel-free-and-strong-if-i-were-not-a-reader-of-books-i-could-not/) [Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/) > [The goal is to learn to be nurturing with yourself so you can feel free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-day/the-goal-is-to-learn-to-be-nurturing-with-yourself-so-you-can-feel/) [Deborah Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-day/) [Browse all 176 Feel free quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-free/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free to do things they enjoy, even if others are mildly inconvenienced, but also one where we all refrain from harming other people if the effort involved to avoid harming them is small.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Harford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where-people-feel-free-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feel free" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where-people-feel-free-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/afc/tim-harford-12481_feel-free_we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where_576231.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We should aim to make ours a world where people feel free to do things they enjoy, even if others are mildly…” — Tim Harford", "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": "Tim Harford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-harford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We should aim to make ours...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where-people-feel-free-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-harford/we-should-aim-to-make-ours-a-world-where-people-feel-free-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```