Unconstrained Decision-Making Quotes

Freedom in the practical sense is the independence of the power of choice from necessitation by impulses of sensibility

Is any man free except the one who can pass his life as he pleases?

Remember one rule, no rule.

All I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.

Atlas was permitted the opinion that he was at liberty, if he wished, to drop the Earth and creep away; but this opinion was all that he was permitted.

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?

I am a believer in free will. If my dog chooses to hate the whole human race except myself, it must be free to do so.

I like freedom. I wake up in the morning and say, 'I don't know, should I have a popsicle or a donut?' You know, who knows?

Basically, the start of my thinking process is: 'OK, if you didn't have to worry about re-election, what would you be doing?' That's kind of how I'm starting to think.

I soon found that the Senate had but one fixed rule … which was to the effect that the Senate would do anything it wanted to do whenever it wanted to do it.