"The liberty of man consists solely in this, that he obeys the laws of nature because he has himself recognized them as such, and not because they have been imposed upon him externally by any foreign will whatsoever, human or divine, collective or individual"

In this quote, Mikhail Bakunin is stressing the value of specific freedom and autonomy. He argues that real liberty for human beings depends on their ability to voluntarily follow the laws of nature, not since they are forced to do so by external forces such as a higher power or societal norms. Bakunin thinks that true flexibility originates from acknowledging and understanding the natural laws that govern our existence, rather than blindly following guidelines imposed upon us by others. He turns down the concept of being controlled by any external will, whether it be from a human authority or a divine being. For Bakunin, real liberty is found in self-awareness and self-determination.