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
Now you see, Dr. Stadler, you're speaking as if this book were addressing to a thinking audience. If it were, one would have to be concerned with such matters as accuracy, validity, logic and the prestige of science. But it isn't. It's addressed to the public.
An evil for these times destined to move through the world in handsome human guise.
The sun is not ridiculous, quite the contrary. On everything I like, on the rust of the construction girders, on the rotten boards of the fence, a miserly, uncertain light falls, like the look you give, after a sleepless night, on decisions made with enthusiasm the day before, on pages you have written in one spurt without crossing out a word.
All true things must change and only that which changes remains true.
We kill each other over which name to call the Nameless.
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.