None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but licence.
Interpretation
True love for freedom is rooted in moral integrity, whereas others may only desire unrestricted behavior.
John Milton suggests that genuine love for freedom comes from a place of goodness and moral character. Those who are not good men may mistake their desire for license and untethered choices as a form of freedom, but this is a shallow understanding that lacks true ethical foundations.
In practice
In a lecture about ethics and freedom, this quote can illustrate the difference between genuine liberty and the reckless pursuit of freedom without moral consideration.
They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms: Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon; The world was all before them, where to choose Their place of rest, and Providence their guide; They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow, Through Eden took their solitary way.
The stars, that nature hung in heaven, and filled their lamps with everlasting oil, give due light to the misled and lonely traveller.
Ev'n them who kept thy truth so pure of old, When all our fathers worshipp'd stocks and stones.
Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss
The end of all learning is to know God, and out of that knowledge to love and imitate Him.
Apt words have power to suage the tumors of a troubled mind.
I was the accuser, God the accused. My eyes were open and I was alone - terribly alone in a world without God and without (hu)man(ity).
I think the tragic feeling is invoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing -- his sense of personal dignity.
If your heart acquires strength, you will be able to remove blemishes from others without thinking evil of them.
I had a sense then of how if we truly understood how many of the unimportant things we do will end up outliving us, we'd never be able to go on.
Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.
His chains chinked softly. I seldom fling children from towers to improve their health. Yes, I meant for him to die.
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