--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Freedom so often means that one isn't…" description: "\"Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be missed. But off ther..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png" --- # Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere… ![“Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be missed. But off there in the cities there are thousands of rolling stones like me. We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png) > “Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be missed. But off there in the cities there are thousands of rolling stones like me. We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing.” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects on the paradox of freedom: being unbound can lead to isolation and loss of belonging. **In simple terms:** Freedom can feel lonely and empty. Key Takeaway Seek connection despite independence. Themes freedom loneliness identity belonging Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - urban life - travel - remote work - expatriate living Key Concepts existentialism social alienation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance independence with belonging? - What relationships give your freedom meaning? A Different Perspective Freedom without ties may erode purpose and community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Rolling stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rolling-stones/) [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) ## Related quotes > [“Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere-here-you-are-an/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Kylie Minogue - she's so great. You'd love her if you met her. Everyone would. In a way I wish everyone could, to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hutchence/kylie-minogue-she-s-so-great-you-d-love-her-if-you-met-her-everyone/) [Michael Hutchence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hutchence/) > [I sat through Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones like three times at the Skyway when it came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-westerberg/i-sat-through-ladies-and-gentlemen-the-rolling-stones-like-three/) [Paul Westerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-westerberg/) > [I don't really have an ambition to become the Rolling Stones, or anything like that. For me, it's just playing music is kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-jackson/i-don-t-really-have-an-ambition-to-become-the-rolling-stones-or/) [Jonathan Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-jackson/) > [I like The Beatles and I like The Kinks and I like The Rolling Stones and I like Led Zeppelin and I like Black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-trachtenburg/i-like-the-beatles-and-i-like-the-kinks-and-i-like-the-rolling-stones/) [Rachel Trachtenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-trachtenburg/) > [I like the Beatles very much, and there are certain things about the Stones that I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-like-the-beatles-very-much-and-there-are-certain-things-about-the/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [Blue and green stones like the tail of a mermaid, Blue and yellow diamonds it remind of a slurpie, Bart Simpson chain because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gucci-mane/blue-and-green-stones-like-the-tail-of-a-mermaid-blue-and-yellow/) [Gucci Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gucci-mane/) > [I'm more into things like rough stones - I like things to look like they are a part of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/i-m-more-into-things-like-rough-stones-i-like-things-to-look-like/) [Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/) > [If two stones were placed... near each other, and beyond the sphere of influence of a third cognate body, these stones, like two magnetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/if-two-stones-were-placed-near-each-other-and-beyond-the-sphere-of/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [The most successful people I've worked with, like the Rolling Stones - people of a different, kind of legendary caliber - have such great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/the-most-successful-people-i-ve-worked-with-like-the-rolling-stones/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [I wondered how I was going to do it and keep my job at Rolling Stone at the same time. They were very nice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jancee-dunn/i-wondered-how-i-was-going-to-do-it-and-keep-my-job-at-rolling-stone/) [Jancee Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jancee-dunn/) > [I've had my ups and downs, and I definitely have a sense - in America, especially - that once you've made your mark and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/i-ve-had-my-ups-and-downs-and-i-definitely-have-a-sense-in-america/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [If you look in my CD case, you'll see it's Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, now I can't think of anyone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angarano/if-you-look-in-my-cd-case-you-ll-see-it-s-pink-floyd-the-rolling/) [Michael Angarano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angarano/) > [When I was a kid and my parents started talking about politics, I'd run to my room and put on the Rolling Stones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/when-i-was-a-kid-and-my-parents-started-talking-about-politics-i-d/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More Backgrounds quotes > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [I bring my classical training - some of it, but not all of it - and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-battle/i-bring-my-classical-training-some-of-it-but-not-all-of-it-and-also/) [Kathleen Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-battle/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-come-from-a-theater-background-so-i-always-like-to-dissect-the/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [For me, I try to look at a person's swagger and a little background on them if I already haven't liked them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bivins/for-me-i-try-to-look-at-a-person-s-swagger-and-a-little-background-on/) [Michael Bivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bivins/) Browse all 1,648 Backgrounds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of your own, you would be missed. But off there in the cities there are thousands of rolling stones like me. We are all alike; we have no ties, we know nobody, we own nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere-here-you-are-an-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backgrounds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere-here-you-are-an-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/009/willa-cather-634_backgrounds_freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-ne_3064560.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Freedom so often means that one isn't needed anywhere. Here you are an individual, you have a background of…” — Willa Cather", "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": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Freedom so often means that one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere-here-you-are-an-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/freedom-so-often-means-that-one-isn-t-needed-anywhere-here-you-are-an-2/#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 } } ] } ```