We must travel in the direction of our fear.
John BerrymanRead
There is no such thing as Freedom (though it is the most important condition of human life, after Humility, -which does not exist either). There is only Slavery (walls around one) and absence-of-Slavery (ability to walk in any direction, or to remain still).
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the complex nature of freedom and slavery in human life.
John Berryman expresses the idea that true freedom may be an illusion, as he contrasts it with the concept of slavery, suggesting that human existence involves a struggle between control and autonomy. He emphasizes that what we perceive as freedom may simply be the absence of restrictions rather than a true state of being, complicating our understanding of what it means to live freely.
Themes
FreedomSlaveryHuman LifeChoiceAutonomy
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about personal autonomy, one might reference this quote to argue against the notion of absolute freedom.
More from John Berryman
All quotes →Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so.
John BerrymanRead
The artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business.
John BerrymanRead
One must be ruthless with one's own writing or someone else will be.
John BerrymanRead
Life, friends, is boring. We must not say so. After all, the sky flashes, the great sea yearns, we ourselves flash and yearn, and moreover my mother told me as a boy (repeatedly) 'Ever to confess you're bored means you have no inner Resources.' I conclude now I have no inner resources, because I am heavy bored.
John BerrymanRead
I do strongly feel that among the greatest pieces of luck for high achievement is ordeal. Certain great artists can make out without it, Titian and others, but mostly you need ordeal. My idea is this: the artist is extremely lucky who is presented with the worst possible ordeal which will not actually kill him. At that point, he's in business: Beethoven's deafness, Goya's deafness, Milton's blindness, that kind of thing.
John BerrymanRead
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