--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the few freedoms that we have as…" description: "\"“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 fa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg" --- # One of the few freedoms that we have as human beings that… ![“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…” quote by Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg) > ““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.”” [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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. Key Takeaway Seek inner peace over possessions. Themes freedom materialism triumph self awareness identity Mood reflective critical contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - real estate development - wealth accumulation - personal fulfillment - social status - spiritual search Key Concepts existentialism psychology consumer culture Questions to Reflect On - What does true freedom mean to you? - How can you find peace without relying on external success? A Different Perspective Material wealth cannot guarantee tranquility; it often creates new anxieties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Assent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-assent-4421261/) [Freedoms Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedoms-human-1102612/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Private Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-plane/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Real estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-estate/) [Surrendering Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrendering-freedom-4421263/) [Tranquillity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquillity/) [Tranquillity Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquillity-think-4421262/) ## Related quotes > [“In the middle of tranquillity, think about the people inside the storms! In your happy times, remember the unhappy!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-middle-of-tranquillity-think-about-the-people-inside-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Human rights, human freedoms... and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world... while the state is a human creation, human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/human-rights-human-freedoms-and-human-dignity-have-their-deepest-2/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Human rights, human freedoms, and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world. These values are as powerful as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/human-rights-human-freedoms-and-human-dignity-have-their-deepest/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [When you got on the private plane, you had your own private lounge where you could close the door. So there wasn't a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-felder/when-you-got-on-the-private-plane-you-had-your-own-private-lounge/) [Don Felder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-felder/) > [It's very important when making a friend to check and see if they have a private plane. People think a good personality trait in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/it-s-very-important-when-making-a-friend-to-check-and-see-if-they/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I realised Life is so short and precious, you should do things that make you feel inspired, that push you and teach you something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-realised-life-is-so-short-and-precious-you-should-do-things-that/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [Yes, I take a private plane on holiday a couple of times a year, and I feel horribly guilty about it. I probably shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/yes-i-take-a-private-plane-on-holiday-a-couple-of-times-a-year-and-i/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [The only way to get around Arizona is by small private plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-mccain/the-only-way-to-get-around-arizona-is-by-small-private-plane/) [Cindy McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-mccain/) > [I haven't isolated myself. I am not living on a yacht somewhere. I am not tucked away or behind a gate somewhere. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-haven-t-isolated-myself-i-am-not-living-on-a-yacht-somewhere-i-am/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Might sound crazy but I just left the private plane, promoter paid 100 k and I ain't even stay the whole day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/might-sound-crazy-but-i-just-left-the-private-plane-promoter-paid-100/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [Hopefully I can go back and forth from the United States to Asia. I feel joint productions could be the way of the future.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey-gao/hopefully-i-can-go-back-and-forth-from-the-united-states-to-asia-i/) [Godfrey Gao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey-gao/) > [“In August, Gehlen and a number of high-ranking colleagues were transported under Boker’s watch to Washington in the private plane of a US General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-feinstein/in-august-gehlen-and-a-number-of-high-ranking-colleagues-were/) [Andrew Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-feinstein/) > [People think that I don't work, and I fly around in Oprah's private plane doing whatever I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-king/people-think-that-i-don-t-work-and-i-fly-around-in-oprah-s-private/) [Gayle King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-king/) > [In the '20s they were telling us wed all have our own private plane and take vacations to the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chiat/in-the-20s-they-were-telling-us-wed-all-have-our-own-private-plane/) [Jay Chiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chiat/) > [I need everything first-class. If it's not a private plane, I need everything first-class. Flights, I need hotel suites, I need the best hotel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/i-need-everything-first-class-if-it-s-not-a-private-plane-i-need/) [Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/) ## More by Tom Wolfe > [“Well … things are beginning to stack up a little,” said Gordo. It was the same old sod-hut drawl. He sounded like the airline…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/well-things-are-beginning-to-stack-up-a-little-said-gordo-it-was-the/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“Everything in everybody’s life is … significant. And everybody is alert, watching for the meanings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/everything-in-everybody-s-life-is-significant-and-everybody-is-alert/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > ['Back to Blood' really took it out of me. While I was writing it, I just never went out anywhere, except to the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/back-to-blood-really-took-it-out-of-me-while-i-was-writing-it-i-just/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [In the U.S., the term 'general aviation' means its exact opposite, the way 'public school' does in England. An English public school is private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/in-the-u-s-the-term-general-aviation-means-its-exact-opposite-the-way/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [That's mostly what the Internet is, just passing the time. But unfortunately you are dealing with words that can have meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/that-s-mostly-what-the-internet-is-just-passing-the-time-but/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“The dark night of fascism is always descending in the United States and yet lands only in Europe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/the-dark-night-of-fascism-is-always-descending-in-the-united-states/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“Loneliness wasn't just a state of mind, was it? It was tactile. She could feel it. It was a sixth sense, not in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/loneliness-wasn-t-just-a-state-of-mind-was-it-it-was-tactile-she/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [it is either make this thing permanent inside of you or forever just climb draggled up into the conning tower every time for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/it-is-either-make-this-thing-permanent-inside-of-you-or-forever-just/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [I found a great many pieces of punctuation and typography lying around dormant when I came along - and I must say I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/i-found-a-great-many-pieces-of-punctuation-and-typography-lying/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“They became desperate for an antidote, such as coziness & color. They tried to bury the obligatory white sofas under Thai-silk throw pillows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/they-became-desperate-for-an-antidote-such-as-coziness-color-they/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [A cult is a religion with no political power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/a-cult-is-a-religion-with-no-political-power/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [I don't think journalists should talk about whom they're voting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/i-don-t-think-journalists-should-talk-about-whom-they-re-voting-for/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [Even hostile parodies admit from the start that the target has a distinct voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/even-hostile-parodies-admit-from-the-start-that-the-target-has-a/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [I had always looked down on sociology as this arriviste discipline. It didn't have the noble history of English and history as a subject.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/i-had-always-looked-down-on-sociology-as-this-arriviste-discipline-it/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [I read somewhere that writers, as they get older, become more and more perfectionist. Which may be because they think more highly of themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/i-read-somewhere-that-writers-as-they-get-older-become-more-and-more/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) [Explore all 177 Tom Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) ## 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. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. 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. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I have to blame myself for not finding any way of reaching him, but I can't feel that either Ruth or I had anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-have-to-blame-myself-for-not-finding-any-way-of-reaching-him-but-i/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) [Browse all 30,110 Freedom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Wolfe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as-human-beings-that-cannot-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Freedom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as-human-beings-that-cannot-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ef/tom-wolfe-2191_freedom_one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as_2135412.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One of the few freedoms that we have as human beings that cannot be taken away from us is the freedom to…” — Tom Wolfe", "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": "Tom Wolfe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“One of the few freedoms that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as-human-beings-that-cannot-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/one-of-the-few-freedoms-that-we-have-as-human-beings-that-cannot-be/#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 } } ] } ```