QuoteProject
Whatever is not forbidden is permitted.
Friedrich Schiller
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote suggests that actions are only restricted by explicit prohibitions.

Friedrich Schiller's quote, 'Whatever is not forbidden is permitted,' encapsulates a fundamental philosophical notion about freedom and moral boundaries. It implies that in the absence of specific laws or moral constraints, individuals have the liberty to act as they wish. This perspective encourages a view of societal norms that emphasizes personal freedom, suggesting that constraints should only exist when absolutely necessary for the common good.

Themes

FreedomLawMoralityActionsPermission

In practice

Example use cases

In a debate about civil liberties, one might quote Schiller to stress the importance of minimal restrictions on individual actions.

More from Friedrich Schiller

Art is the daughter of freedom.
Friedrich SchillerRead
There is no such thing as chance; and what seem to us merest accident springs from the deepest source of destiny.
Friedrich SchillerRead
Who dares nothing, need hope for nothing.
Friedrich SchillerRead
While the womanly god demands our veneration, the godlike woman kindles our love; but while we allow ourselves to melt in the celestial loveliness, the celestial self-sufficiency holds us back in awe.
Friedrich SchillerRead
As noble Art has survived noble nature, so too she marches ahead of it, fashioning and awakening by her inspiration. Before Truth sends her triumphant light into the depths of the heart, imagination catches its rays, and the peaks of humanity will be glowing when humid night still lingers in the valleys.
Friedrich SchillerRead
Wise to resolve, patient to perform.
Friedrich SchillerRead

Similar quotes

[I]t seems to me as clear as daylight that abortion would be a crime.
Mahatma GandhiRead
A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.
Emily DickinsonRead
It is given to no human being to stereotype a set of truths, and walk safely by their guidance with his mind's eye closed.
John Stuart MillRead
Giving up attachment to the world does not mean that you set yourself apart from it. Generating a desire for others to be happy increases your humanity. As you become less attached to the world, you become more humane. As the very purpose of spiritual practice is to help others, you must remain in society.
Dalai LamaRead
Opinions which justify cruelty are inspired by cruel impulses.
Bertrand RussellRead
What really interests me is whether God had any choice in the creation of the World.
Albert EinsteinRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Friedrich Schiller | QuoteProject