How can I be free? It’s not uncommon to feel like a prisoner at one time or another. A prisoner in your relationship. In your work. In past choices. So how do you find the courage to be free? Here are 20 quotes to inspire and motivate you.

What does it mean to be free?

To be free is to

Daring to be yourself
No longer being afraid of what others think and say
Trusting yourself and listening to your heart
Daring to say no
Dare to change your mind
Love yourself enough to no longer be a prisoner of others
Have the courage to be different
Knowing how to laugh at everything and at yourself
Not becoming attached to external objects and circumstances
Remembering that life is a gift and that everything is a miracle
See the magic within ourselves and all around us
Dare to say what you want and let others say what they want
Letting go of our need to control everything and change others
Accepting ourselves as we are and others as they are
I invite you to take a moment, right now, to ask yourself: what does being free mean to me? List at least 5 different things.

The 20 best quotes to be free

1 – “Being free doesn’t mean doing what you want, it means being who you are.”

2 – “I’m free to think, to act, to choose, to love, to accept or refuse… Above all, I’m free to be who I am!”

3 – “Then one day, I decided that I had the right to disappoint others, and I discovered the freedom to simply be me.”

4 – “Being free also means not acting according to how others see you.”

5 – “You have to be unique, be true, be free, be yourself, because life is far too short to be someone you’re not.”

6 – “To be free is to write your own choreography instead of dancing to someone else’s.”

7 – “If you want to be happy – to be a free man – Let others despise you.”

8 – “To be free is to know how to say no.”

9 – “I began to be free when I discovered that the cage was made of thoughts.”

10 – “Change your desires rather than the order of the world.”

11 – “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”

12 – “Freedom belongs to those who have conquered it.”

13 – “You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future.”

14 – “Beings are not made to belong to each other, they are made to be free, together.”

15 – “To have the inner strength, balance and ability to live well regardless of external situations and conditions is freedom.”

16 – “There is no happiness without freedom, nor freedom without courage.”

17 – “If you are upset by something external, the suffering is not due to that thing, but to your estimation of it; and that, you with the power to change at any moment.”

18 – “Freedom is not the absence of commitment, but the ability to choose.”

19 – “You are the master of your life, and no matter what prison you’re in, you have the keys.”

20 – “Freedom cannot be given, it must be taken.

How to be free in 4 steps

The first step is to get to know yourself: who are you? (Qualities, faults, strengths, weaknesses…) What do you like? (Your passions, your taste in clothes, movies, food…) Where are you going? (What are your dreams? Your goals?).

Without self-knowledge, your gaze will always be drawn to others. You’ll always be on the lookout for other people’s advice and approval. So you’ll always be their prisoner.

The second step is to free yourself from the fear of judgement: others don’t have to decide for you. They’re just the secondary characters in your life; you’re the main character. So give yourself permission to disappoint the people around you.

Even though you know yourself and no longer need their advice or approval, you can’t help but be afraid of disappointing them.

And yet, disappointment is necessary if you wish to live a life in which you are free to be yourself.

The third step is to give yourself courage. To do this, surround yourself with testimonials and quotes that give you self-confidence and inspire you to be free.

Indeed, allowing yourself to be free is difficult, because we’ve learned to conform to each other. In a way, it’s more comfortable until we realize that we’re prisoners. And then our life becomes burdensome.

And finally, the fourth step is to learn to persevere. After all, you’re going to stumble along the way, and that’s normal. Yes, you’ll find yourself trapped again.

But remember: you’re here to learn. So do it again and again.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover 7 tips for guilt-free living for yourself
Discover Low self-esteem: 5 secrets to free yourself from it for good

I recommend this inspiring book:

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land
The memoir follows stephanie as she shares her experiences as a housekeeper while fighting poverty, highlighting the challenges of breaking free from economic hardship.
This book is incredible. I have never felt so emotionally invested in a book. I have no idea what hardships Stephanie endured, as I’ve never had children and I’ve never been a single mother. But I wondered where my next meal would come from, how I’d manage to make ends meet, and was absolutely relieved to discover that a car accident in the midst of my difficulties was not my fault. The rush of emotion, the immediate return to that period of my life and the relief I felt brought me to tears.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself