Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

The saying contrasts a popular notion of freedom as license—simply doing whatever one desires—with a moral understanding of freedom as ordered toward the good. In this view, freedom is not diminished by obligation; rather, it is fulfilled when a person can choose and carry out what is right. The emphasis on “the right to do what we ought” also implies a social and political dimension: laws and institutions should protect conscience and moral action, not merely permit preference-satisfaction. Attributed to John Paul II, the thought aligns with his broader teaching that authentic human liberty is inseparable from truth and responsibility.