I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.
Intellectual liberty is the air of the soul, the sunshine of the mind, and without it, the world is a prison, the universe is a dungeon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Intellectual liberty is essential for the growth of the mind and spirit; without it, life feels restricted.
This quote by Robert Green Ingersoll emphasizes the importance of intellectual freedom as a fundamental necessity for human growth and happiness. He likens intellectual liberty to essential elements like air and sunshine, suggesting that without the ability to think freely and express ideas, individuals are confined, much like prisoners within a dungeon. The metaphor illustrates that a lack of intellectual freedom leads to a stifling existence, making it crucial for a fulfilling life and a vibrant society.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity and innovation, one might say, 'As Robert Green Ingersoll put it, intellectual liberty is the air of the soul, reminding us that true innovation requires freedom of thought.'
More from Robert Green Ingersoll
All quotes βIf the guardians of society, the protectors of 'young persons,' could have had their way, we should have known nothing of Byron or Shelley. The voices that thrill the world would now be silent.
The religion that has to be supported by law is without value, not only, but a fraud and a curse. The religious argument that has to be supported by a musket is hardly worth making.
There is no slavery but ignorance.
In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder.
I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty to our duty as we know it - loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart - is, to my mind, far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or God. . . .
Similar quotes
Hope is called the anchor of the soul because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a 'wish' I wish that such-and-such would take place rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.
Men's ideas are the most direct emanations of their material state.
Governments, like clocks, go from the motion men give them, and as governments are made and moved by men, so by them they are ruined too. Wherefore governments rather depend upon men, than men upon governments. Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad; if it be ill, they will cure it. But if men be bad, let the government be never so good, they will endeavour to warp and spoil it to their turn.
If you're going to have a story, have a big story, or none at all.
It's so different to be a sparrow. But nobody asked this rat if he wanted to be a rat when he was made. Nobody said, 'Wouldn't you rather be a sparrow?
Our fulfillment is not in our isolated human grandeur, but in our intimacy with the larger earth community, for this is also the larger dimension of our being.