Francis George Quotes

If there is such a thing as freedom, then there is no fate.

Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives.

A part of fate is the freedom of man. Forever wells up the impulse of choosing and acting in his soul.

Honestly, I cannot understand what people mean when they talk about the freedom of the human will. I have a feeling, for instance, that I will something or other; but what relation this has with freedom I cannot understand at all. I feel that I will to light my pipe and I do it; but how can I connect this up with the idea of freedom? What is behind the act of willing to light the pipe ? Another act of willing?

Only when he voluntarily chooses that which he inexorably must do, has man any free will at all.

All choices are illusions, or if they are not illusions their strength is illusory, for one choice must contend with the choices of all the other men and women deciding anything in that moment.

There are those who believe destiny rests at the feet of the gods, but the truth is that it confronts the conscious of man with a burning challenge.

You are free to choose. You are not free not to choose. No choice is a choice. You are free to choose but you are not free to choose the consequences of that choice.

Absolute freedom does not exist; what does exist is the freedom to choose anything you like and then commit yourself to that decision.

Everybody acts as if they have free will. They act as if they can make these decisions; do they know they don't? I think there's been some back-down on the idea that everything is determined.

Man is a masterpiece of creation if for no other reason than that, all the weight of evidence for determinism notwithstanding, he believes he has free will.

All is foreseen, but freedom of choice is given.

We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind's greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.

Free will is to mind, what chance is to matter

If God is, man is a slave; now, man can and must be free; then, God does not exist. I defy anyone whomsoever to avoid this circle; now, therefore, let all choose.

All theory is against freedom of the will, all experience for it.

Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.

I'm not sure I understand how responsibility for our choices makes sense if they are not determined.

Morality pertains only to the sphere of man's free will - only to those actions which are open to his choice.

Agency presupposes choice.

Choice is destiny's soul mate.

Mankind's greatest gift... is that we have free choice.

My first act of free will shall be to believe in free will.

He [God] made us free, and He respects that. It is two different spheres of causality. Interdependent, though. It is not two boxes looking at one another without any kind of direct connections. There are very direct connections. That's why the question of "how are we free if God is omnipotent?" is a real, constant question. Ultimately, God is all powerful, and yet we are free.

Some make light of decisions, arguing that all possible decisions will occur. In such a world, how could one be responsible for his actions? Others hold that each decision must be considered and committed to, that without commitment there is chaos. Such people are content to live in contradictory worlds, so long as they know the reason for each.