Qquoteatlas.infoquotes, sources and meanings
Source identified
“What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom?”

Henry David Thoreau

Source
Life Without Principle
Date
1863
Attribution
Source identified
Meaning

What does this quote mean?

Thoreau asks whether political liberty has fulfilled its purpose if people remain governed inwardly by prejudice, appetite or social pressures that prevent independent moral life.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Life Without Principle, The Atlantic Monthly, 1863; represented Wikisource text. The surrounding passage contrasts formal national freedom with what Thoreau calls moral freedom.

Primary / edition source ↗

Attribution

How should this attribution be read?

This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.

Read the verification method →

Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation