---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Inner liberty can be judged by how often…"
description: "\"Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels offended, for you can no more insult a mature man than you can paint the air.\" — Vernon Howard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png"
---

#  Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels…

![“Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels offended, for you can no more insult a mature man than you can paint the air.” quote by Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png)

> “Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels offended, for you can no more insult a mature man than you can paint the air.”

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

## 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 is shown by one’s capacity to stay unoffended; mature people cannot be insulted.

**In simple terms:** Maturity prevents feeling offended.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate inner freedom through composure.

Themes

freedom offense maturity

Mood

calm reflective

Type

philosophical self‑help

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you stay composed when insulted?
- What practices build emotional resilience?

A Different Perspective

External insults can still trigger emotional reactions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [“No one but a fool, and only a fool of a peculiar description, feels offended by the acknowledgment that there are others whose opinion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/no-one-but-a-fool-and-only-a-fool-of-a-peculiar-description-feels/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [Real friends dont get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even more offensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-friends-dont-get-offended-when-you-insult-them-they-smile-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Gallantly, ceaselessly, quietly, man must fight for inner liberty” to remain independent of the enslavement of the material world. “Inner liberty depends upon being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/gallantly-ceaselessly-quietly-man-must-fight-for-inner-liberty-to/)

[Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/)

> [If anyone feels offended by my words, I would respond that I speak them with affection and with the best of intentions, quite apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/if-anyone-feels-offended-by-my-words-i-would-respond-that-i-speak/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [“Inner liberty depends upon being exempt from domination of things as well as from domination of people. There are many who have acquired a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/inner-liberty-depends-upon-being-exempt-from-domination-of-things-as/)

[Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/)

> [Real friends don't get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even more offensive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/real-friends-don-t-get-offended-when-you-insult-them-they-smile-and/)

[Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/)

> [“When someone I admire turns out to be a rather normal guy, I get offended because it’s an insult to my jealousy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-someone-i-admire-turns-out-to-be-a-rather-normal-guy-i-get/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Man’s own youth is the world’s youth; at least, he feels as if it were, and imagines that the earth’s granite substance is something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/man-s-own-youth-is-the-world-s-youth-at-least-he-feels-as-if-it-were-2/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [In a man, I like funny guys. A guy who doesn't have a lot of therapy, who's mature. A man, not a boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maura-tierney/in-a-man-i-like-funny-guys-a-guy-who-doesn-t-have-a-lot-of-therapy/)

[Maura Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maura-tierney/)

> [“For whether it be the lightly armed desire of youth which it is presumed will press forward to victory, or whether it be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/for-whether-it-be-the-lightly-armed-desire-of-youth-which-it-is/)

[Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/)

> [The man who joins with youths stays young in heart and mind. In exchange for the gift of their vitality and eagerness, the mature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-clausen/the-man-who-joins-with-youths-stays-young-in-heart-and-mind-in/)

[Henry Clausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-clausen/)

> [“The mature man lives quietly, does good privately, assumes personal responsibility for his actions, treats others with friendliness and courtesy, finds mischief boring and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/the-mature-man-lives-quietly-does-good-privately-assumes-personal/)

[Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/)

> [The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-mark-of-the-immature-man-is-that-he-wants-to-die-nobly-for-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People want to see a movie that casts a mature woman across from a mature man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-allen/people-want-to-see-a-movie-that-casts-a-mature-woman-across-from-a/)

[Karen Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-allen/)

> [The mature man lives quietly, does good privately, takes responsibility for his actions, treats others with friendliness and courtesy, finds mischief boring and avoids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-rexroth/the-mature-man-lives-quietly-does-good-privately-takes-responsibility/)

[Kenneth Rexroth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-rexroth/)

## More by Vernon Howard

> [“A self-working individual will be sitting around home one day when the startling thought occurs, “Here I am, sitting around, doing nothing of interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/a-self-working-individual-will-be-sitting-around-home-one-day-when/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [The terrible immoralities are the cunning ones hiding behind masks of morality, such as exploiting people while pretending to help them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-terrible-immoralities-are-the-cunning-ones-hiding-behind-masks-of/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [No one on earth can hurt you, unless you accept the hurt in your own mind. . . The problem is not other people;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/no-one-on-earth-can-hurt-you-unless-you-accept-the-hurt-in-your-own/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [To change what you get you must change who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/to-change-what-you-get-you-must-change-who-you-are/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Genuine kindness is not what we do, it is what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/genuine-kindness-is-not-what-we-do-it-is-what-we-are/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [When told that man lives in delusion everyone thinks of himself as the exception; hence his delusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/when-told-that-man-lives-in-delusion-everyone-thinks-of-himself-as/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [It is against the law to permit weak people to steal your strength. Never permit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/it-is-against-the-law-to-permit-weak-people-to-steal-your-strength/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Men have the illusion of having a duty to make the world spin properly, which is precisely what makes it wobble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/men-have-the-illusion-of-having-a-duty-to-make-the-world-spin/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Just as surely as distress must follow self-deceit, healing must follow self-honesty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/just-as-surely-as-distress-must-follow-self-deceit-healing-must/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Quit thinking that you must halt before the barrier of inner negativity. You need not. You can crash through... whatever we see a negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/quit-thinking-that-you-must-halt-before-the-barrier-of-inner/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [One false idea is that anyone can hurt you. Events can ruin your reputation, take your money, mistreat you, revenge itself upon you, deceive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/one-false-idea-is-that-anyone-can-hurt-you-events-can-ruin-your/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Don't try to be unafraid. That is impossible. Rather, go ahead while being afraid. That is the entire secret for abolishing fear. The Supermind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/don-t-try-to-be-unafraid-that-is-impossible-rather-go-ahead-while/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [The only way to do something truly important every day is to seek to understand yourself every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-only-way-to-do-something-truly-important-every-day-is-to-seek-to/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [Make it absolutely clear to yourself what you want from other people. That is really half the secret for drawing your desire to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/make-it-absolutely-clear-to-yourself-what-you-want-from-other-people/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

> [The only reason you do not do great things is because you timidly cling to small things. Will you let loose of small things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/the-only-reason-you-do-not-do-great-things-is-because-you-timidly/)

[Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

[Explore all 181 Vernon Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

Browse all 6,278 Air quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels offended, for you can no more insult a mature man than you can paint the air.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vernon Howard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often-a-person-feels-offended-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often-a-person-feels-offended-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d45/vernon-howard-2173_air_inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often_2656968.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Inner liberty can be judged by how often a person feels offended, for you can no more insult a mature man…” — Vernon Howard",
                "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": "Vernon Howard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Inner liberty can be judged by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often-a-person-feels-offended-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/inner-liberty-can-be-judged-by-how-often-a-person-feels-offended-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
