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The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n… Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition though in Hell: Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n. Meaning- In this famous passage, Satan claims that he would rather be free and independent of God's authority, even if it means living in Hell, than serve God mindlessly and be rewarded with Heaven. In other words, Satan aspires to be "his own boss"--he wants to rule over his henchmen the devils, essentially being the "god" of Hell. His argument here is that the devils can turn Hell into their own Heaven, as long as they remain free in their minds. This also foreshadows Satan's later realization that "Hell" is not a place at all--it's something he carries within himself. So far from being able to turn Hell into Heaven, he can in fact never escape Hell, no matter where he goes. But at this point in the poem he remains more optimistic. While Satan's statement seems bitter, petty, and manipulative, on another level it's also somewhat inspiring--the way he talks about using his mind and his imagination to achieve happiness is, one could argue, deeply human. Satan is a kind of Romantic hero--a bold, imaginative, yet evil figure who aspires to cause pain and suffering to everyone rather than submit his pride to another's.