In literature, the word "independence" is employed with remarkable versatility, conveying both personal self-reliance and collective emancipation. It appears as a marker of individual autonomy, whether in discussions of economic self-sufficiency and emotional resolve ([1], [2]) or in the assertion of a distinct intellectual spirit ([3], [4]). At the same time, it serves as a powerful symbol for collective freedom and national identity, as seen in narratives of political liberation and historical wars for freedom ([5], [6], [7]). The term also finds a place in more technical or abstract discourse, where it characterizes scientific principles and legal doctrines ([8], [9], [10]). These varied applications demonstrate the rich metaphorical potential of "independence" to capture both internal and external struggles for self-determination ([11], [12]).
- "I shall be proud to see one of my girls win her own economical independence, which means so much more than it seems.
— from The Rainbow by D. H. Lawrence
- By precept and example, she taught the doctrine of woman's independence and self-reliance.
— from History of Woman Suffrage, Volume I
- This type of men, on their part, never imagine but that their "broad-mindedness" is a mark of their superiority and independence.
— from The International Jew : The World's Foremost Problem by Anonymous
- That Plato should have emancipated himself from the ideas of his own country and from the example of the East, shows a wonderful independence of mind.
— from The Republic by Plato
- In 1575 the seven Dutch counties [ 189 ] declared their independence, and formed the republic of the Netherlands.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows
- —In 1776 the thirteen English colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America declared their independence of Great Britain.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows
- These countries achieved their independence of Spain under the inspiration of the success of the United States.
— from A History of the Philippines by David P. Barrows
- Law of the independence of the effect produced by a force upon a body, and the motion anteriorily acquired by this body.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
- Law of the independence of the effects of forces which act simultaneously upon the same body.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
- The independence of the person of the concrete objects, in which he has a mere money interest, is reflected, likewise, in his independence,
— from Introduction to the Science of Sociology by E. W. Burgess and Robert Ezra Park
- The independence of the township was the nucleus round which the local interests, passions, rights, and duties collected and clung.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville
- Moreover, defeat by sea rarely compromises the existence or independence of the people which endures it.
— from Democracy in America — Volume 2 by Alexis de Tocqueville