“I do not believe we can have any freedom at all in the philosophical sense, for we act not only under external compulsion but also by inner necessity.”
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Source: What I Believe, 1930
About this quote
This is a deterministic account of human action: choices arise within both social pressures and internal causes. It invites reflection on responsibility while distinguishing everyday freedom from absolute metaphysical independence.
When to use it
- A court considers upbringing and coercion without denying that harmful conduct still has consequences.
- A person traces a recurring reaction to habit and temperament before deciding how to change it.
- A philosophy seminar separates freedom from external restraint from freedom from every prior cause.