Freedom Quote by Tom Wolfe
““One of the few freedoms that we have as human beings that cannot be taken away from us is the freedom to assent to what is true and to deny what is false. Nothing you can give me is worth surrendering that freedom for. At this moment I'm a man with complete tranquillity...I've been a real estate developer for most of my life, and I can tell you that a developer lives with the opposite of tranquillity, which is perturbation. You're perturbed about something all the time. You build your first development, and right away you want to build a bigger one, and you want a bigger house to live in, and if it ain't in Buckhead, you might as well cut your wrists. Soon's you got that, you want a plantation, tens of thousands of acres devoted solely to shooting quail, because you know of four or five developers who've already got that. And soon's you get that, you want a place on Sea Island and a Hatteras cruiser and a spread northwest of Buckhead, near the Chattahoochee, where you can ride a horse during the week, when you're not down at the plantation, plus a ranch in Wyoming, Colorado, or Montana, because truly successful men in Atlanta and New York all got their ranches, and of course now you need a private plane, a big one, too, a jet, a Gulfstream Five, because who's got the patience and the time and the humility to fly commercially, even to the plantation, much less out to a ranch? What is it you're looking for in this endless quest? Tranquillity. You think if only you can acquire enough worldly goods, enough recognition, enough eminence, you will be free, there'll be nothing more to worry about, and instead you become a bigger and bigger slave to how you think others are judging you.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: 1995, The New Yorker, “The Real Estate of the Soul”
The speaker argues that true freedom lies in the ability to discern truth, and that material accumulation leads to perpetual unrest rather than peace.
In simple terms: Freedom is mental, not material.
Seek inner peace over possessions.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- real estate development
- wealth accumulation
- personal fulfillment
- social status
- spiritual search
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What does true freedom mean to you?
- How can you find peace without relying on external success?
Material wealth cannot guarantee tranquility; it often creates new anxieties.