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Man is free, but his freedom ceases when he has no faith in it; and the greater power he ascribes to faith, the more he deprives himself of that power which God has given to him when He endowed him with the gift of reason. Reason is a particle of the Creator's divinity. When we use it with a spirit of humility and justice we are certain to please the Giver of that precious gift.

Giacomo Casanova#7

FreedomFaithDivinityReason

About this quote

What does it mean?
Human freedom depends on faith in it, but over-reliance on faith can undermine reason which is divine.
In plain terms
Faith limits freedom; reason is a gift from God that should be used wisely.
What can you take from it?
Use reason and humility to honor the divine gift of intellect.

Where it applies

  • religious debate
  • personal ethics
  • philosophy

Putting it to work

  • trust your reasoning ability
  • balance faith and intellect

Questions to consider

  • Is reason a divine gift?
  • Does faith limit your freedom?

Another view

Faith does not necessarily remove freedom if it complements rather than replaces reason.

More from Giacomo Casanova

  1. I believe in the existence of an immaterial God, the Author and Master of all beings and all things, and I feel that I never had any doubt of His existence, fr…

    Permalink to quote #6
  2. Man is free; yet we must not suppose that he is at liberty to do everything he pleases, for he becomes a slave the moment he allows his actions to be ruled by …

    Permalink to quote #8
  3. I will begin with this confession: whatever I have done in the course of my life, whether it be good or evil, has been done freely; I am a free agent.

    Permalink to quote #5

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