Quotes about Censorship

Censorship is advertising paid by the government. Votes: 6

Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind. Votes: 6

Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody reads. Votes: 6

Censorship, like charity, should begin at home, but, unlike charity, it should end there. Votes: 5

One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present. Votes: 5

A censor is an expert in cutting remarks. A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to. Votes: 5

If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed. Votes: 5

Exile as a mode of genius no longer exists; in place of Joyce we have the fragments of work appearing in Index on Censorship. Votes: 5

Let children read whatever they want and then talk about it with them. If parents and kids can talk together, we won't have as much censorship because we won't have as much fear. Votes: 5

Censorship is the height of vanity. Votes: 4

Assassination is the extreme form of censorship. Votes: 4

The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book. Votes: 4

The first condition of progress is the removal of censorship. Votes: 4

Censorship makes me really angry. I even hate it when people censor themselves. Votes: 4

What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. Votes: 4

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. Votes: 4

Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. Votes: 4

Censorship, in my opinion, is a stupid and shallow way of approaching the solution to any problem. Votes: 4

Censorship always defeats it own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion." Votes: 4

Did you ever hear anyone say, 'That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me'? Votes: 4

Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things they're doing and saying in films right now just shouldn't be allowed. There's no dignity anymore and I think that's very important. Votes: 4

All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently, the first condition of progress is the removal of censorship. Votes: 4

Censorship is the mother of metaphor. Votes: 3

Censorship defeats the right to self determination. Votes: 3

Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. Votes: 3

Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice. Votes: 3

Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice. Votes: 3

Censorship has been my best press agent my whole life. Votes: 3

Censorship is all around us, I don't think it's innate. Votes: 3

Censorship feeds the dirty mind more than the four-letter word itself. Votes: 3

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Votes: 3

I believe in censorship. I made a fortune out of it. Votes: 3

Censorship, telling people how to live their lives I completely disagree with. Votes: 3

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. Votes: 3

Censorship has kind of disappeared in a way because everything is accessible online. Votes: 3

All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. Votes: 3

Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there. Votes: 3

God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide. Votes: 3

Censorship that comes from the outside assumes about people an inability to make reasoned choices. Votes: 3

Censorship may have to do with literature; but literature has nothing whatever to do with censorship. Votes: 3

Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your permission. Votes: 3

Censorship may be useful for the preservation of morality, but can never be so for its restoration. Votes: 3

Censorship is the tool of those who have the need to hide actualities from themselves and from others. Votes: 3

Censorship is the commonest social blasphemy because it is mostly concealed, built into us by indolence, self-interest and cowardice. Votes: 3

I have a very specific definition of censorship. Censorship must be done by the government or it's not censorship. Votes: 3

Censorship is a strange situation. There was times when people would burn books because they didn't like what people were doing. Votes: 3

Censorship should never be allowed. One should be able to say anything. But I refuse to let politics be foisted on me. Votes: 3

Censorship laws are blunt instruments, not sharp scalpels. Once enacted, they are easily misapplied to merely unpopular or only marginally dangerous speech. Votes: 3

Censorship does not interfere with the constitutional rights of every American to sit alone in a dark room in the nude and cuss. Votes: 3

Censorship always defeats it own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. Votes: 3

We Negro writers, just by being black, have been on the blacklist all our lives. Censorship for us begins at the color line. Votes: 3

Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever. Votes: 3

Censorship is never over for those who have experienced it. It is a brand on the imagination that affects the individual who has suffered it, forever. Votes: 3

Censorship of anything, at any time, in any place, on whatever pretense, has always been and always will be the last resort of the boob and the bigot. Votes: 3

Censorship, I believe, is the most dangerous enemy to all human communication, and piety of intention is probably the most dangerous, the most virulent and the most self-satisfying. Votes: 3

Child labor, not a problem. Censorship, not a problem. Torture, not a problem. Chewing gum in China - oh, my God! You better not be over here chewing gum. Votes: 3

Like water leaking slowly through a dike to become a steady trickle or a flood, words and ideas inexorably elude the censor's grasp. (Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature) Votes: 3

Censorship is the thing that stops you doing what you want to do, and what writers want to talk about is what they do, not what stops them doing it. Votes: 3

By placing discretion in the hands of an official to grant or deny a license, such a statute creates a threat of censorship that by its very existence chills free speech. Votes: 3

Censorship ends in logical completeness when nobody is allowed to read any books except the books that nobody can read."[As quoted in Literary Censorship in England (in Current Opinion, Vol. 55, No. 5, November 1913)] Votes: 3

The sooner we all learn to make a decision between disapproval and censorship, the better off society will be....Censorship cannot get at the real evil, and it is an evil in itself. Votes: 3

The sooner we all learn to make a decision between disapproval and censorship, the better off society will be... Censorship cannot get at the real evil, and it is an evil in itself. Votes: 3

For centuries censorship has created best sellers because, as Michel de Montaigne said, 'To forbid us anything is to make us have a mind for it.' (Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature) Votes: 3

Censorship is always cause for celebration. It is always an opportunity because it reveals fear of reform. It means that the power position is so weak that you have got to care what people think. Votes: 3

The artist, viewing his fellows through his personal vision, has through the ages attempted to portray what he sees and to present his understanding of it. Censorship in his case has perpetrated heavy and sometimes reprehensible blunders. Votes: 3

Censorship is not an occupation that attracts intelligent, subtle minds. Censors can and often have been outwitted. But the game of slipping Aesopian messages past the censor is ultimately a sterile one, diverting writers from their proper task. Votes: 3

The paradox of the culture wars is that they have made celebrities out of some artists who would otherwise vanish. Censorship has become a growth industry. This may be the best argument, in the end, for unfettered freedom of expression. Votes: 3

Here we have bishops, priests, and deacons, a Censorship Board, vigilant librarians, confraternities and sodalities, Duce Maria, Legions of Mary, Knights of this Christian order and Knights of that one, all surrounding the sinner's free will in an embattled circle. Votes: 3

Art exhibitions would be less censored if they were rated, G or NC-17, like movies. People in general see galleries and museums as family-appropriate excursions. Censorship is a provided system which caters to lazy parenting, which is publicly-funded and socially accepted. Votes: 3

Intelligence is the capacity to receive, decode and transmit information efficiently. Stupidity is blockage of this process at any point. Bigotry, ideologies etc. block the ability to receive; robotic reality-tunnels block the ability to decode or integrate new signals; censorship blocks transmission. Votes: 3

The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. Votes: 2

No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free no one ever will. Votes: 2

Submitting to censorship is to enter the seductive world of 'The Giver': the world where there are no bad words and no bad deeds. But it is also the world where choice has been taken away and reality distorted. And that is the most dangerous world of all. Votes: 2

Redeeming social value, indeed. Votes: 1

Only the nonreader fears books. Votes: 1

Poems are difficult to silence. Votes: 1

Irreverence is our only sacred cow. Votes: 1

You're sad but you hold everything back... Votes: 1

The punishing of wits enhances their authority. Votes: 1

They told me I was not to draw. Votes: 1

We change people through conversation, not through censorship. Votes: 1

Self-censorship is the most insidious form of censorship. Votes: 1

Where the truth is censored, the truth grows fangs. Votes: 1

Where the truth is censored, the truth grows claws. Votes: 1

Any book worth banning is a book worth reading. Votes: 1

As Pa said, censorship encouraged people to believe nonsense. Votes: 1

Only a free hand can draw a free line. Votes: 1

In books I found explicitly, flamboyantly, everything censored in life. Votes: 1

I can't write this book. It's not politically correct yet Votes: 1

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - Who will watch the watchers? Votes: 1

To reach the pinnacle of your writings potential; productivity becomes obsolete. Votes: 1

Political correctness is euphemism for "fear to speak truth to authority Votes: 1

Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind Votes: 1

The censor's sword pierces deeply into the heart of free expression. Votes: 1

There's nothing like a shovel full of dirt to encourage literacy. Votes: 1

A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill. Votes: 1

You clap. The Censor wakes up. We all get into trouble. Votes: 1

Some books can only be written when winners turn into loosers Votes: 1

You have to be mad in the language you're mad in. Votes: 1

Let me be clear: I am not an advocate of censorship. Votes: 1

If you can't say "Fuck" you can't say, "Fuck the government. Votes: 1

Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one. Votes: 1

When truth is replaced by silence,the silence is a lie. Votes: 1

You have not converted a man because you have silenced him. Votes: 1

Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings. Votes: 1

I'm not interested in censorship. I like the First Amendment very much. Votes: 1

What cannot be said above all must not be silenced but written. Votes: 1

There are no wrong books. What's wrong is the fear of them. Votes: 1

Yes, books are dangerous. They should be dangerous - they contain ideas. Votes: 1

Smoking is unhealthy but not as unhealthy as being forbidden to smoke. Votes: 1

To forbid us anything is to make us have a mind for it. Votes: 1

The crucifixion should never be depicted. It is a horror to be veiled. Votes: 1

Without freedom of speech there is no modern world, just a barbaric one. Votes: 1

I wrote a song about dental floss but did anyone's teeth get cleaner? Votes: 1

There is a fine line between censorship and good taste and moral responsibility. Votes: 1

So yes, I say things I regret constantly, and I just can't help it. Votes: 1

There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them. Votes: 1

Book burnings. Always the forerunners. Heralds of the stake, the ovens, the mass graves. Votes: 1

Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. Votes: 1

If you believe that I'm a cop killer, you believe David Bowie is an astronaut. Votes: 1

I also hold very strong personal convictions about censorship. I don't believe in forbidden knowledge. Votes: 1

Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice. Votes: 1

Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord. Votes: 1

History proves there is no better advertisement for a book than to condemn it for obscenity. Votes: 1

You seldom get a censorship attempt from a 14-year-old boy. It's the adults who get upset. Votes: 1

Any given censor is a fool. The very fact that he is a censor indicates that. Votes: 1

Calling a book "Young Adult" is just a fancy way of saying the book is censored. Votes: 1

The Motion Picture Association of America wipes the sweat off its brow and sings the PG-13 song. Votes: 1

When silence is a choice, it is an unnerving presence. When silence is imposed, it is censorship. Votes: 1

The term "political correctness" has always appalled me, reminding me of Orwell's "Thought Police" and fascist regimes. Votes: 1

People trying to force their agenda on my by deciding how I'm permitted to speak is offensive. Votes: 1

All the papers that matter live off their advertisements, and the advertisers exercise an indirect censorship over news. Votes: 1

When one writer tries to silence another, he silences every writer-and in the end he also silences himself. Votes: 1

The struggle for a free intelligence has always been a struggle between the ironic and the literal mind. Votes: 1

It is not necessary to conceal anything from a public insensible to contradiction and narcotized by technological diversions. Votes: 1

To prohibit the reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves. Votes: 1

It is really exhausting to live in a dictatorship of 'Me', which is basically a tyranny of others. Votes: 1

Freiheit ist immer die Freiheit des AndersdenkendenFreedom is always, and exclusively, freedom for the one who thinks differently. Votes: 1

Sleeping beauty awoke at the kiss of a scientist and expired at the fatal puncture of his syringe. Votes: 1

I hate it that Americans are taught to fear some books and some ideas as though they were diseases. Votes: 1

Beyond all the other reasons not to do it, free speech assaults always backfire: they transform bigots into martyrs. Votes: 1

Civil government cannot let any group ride roughshod over others simply because their consciences tell them to do so. Votes: 1

Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship. Votes: 1

You can never talk religion on network TV. It makes too many people angry. You can talk about sex. Votes: 1

The value of universal literacy is of course questionable in a society that practices the strictest form of censorship. Votes: 1

He is always the severest censor of the merit of others who has the least worth of his own Votes: 1

There was hardly an eminent writer in Paris who was unacquainted with the inside of the Conciergerie or the Bastille. Votes: 1

Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived. Votes: 1

Having the freedom to read and the freedom to choose is one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me. Votes: 1

The author determines that the bitterest struggles are for one side of the truth to the suppression of the other side. Votes: 1

Every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side. Votes: 1

Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship. Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind Votes: 1

There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches. Votes: 1

Limiting the freedom of news 'just a little bit' is in the same category with the classic example 'a little bit pregnant. Votes: 1

If we think to regulat Printing, thereby to rectifie manners, we must regulat all recreations and pastimes, all that is delightfull to Man. Votes: 1

This excerpt includes both a cautionary tale of being caught en flagrante and a stirring defense of getting fucked.Redeeming social value, indeed. Votes: 1

Digression is the soul of wit. Take the philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's father's ghost and what stays is dry bones. Votes: 1

The worst thing to tell a free people in a country that's still mostly free is that they are not allowed to read something. Votes: 1

The real heroes are the librarians and teachers who at no small risk to themselves refuse to lie down and play dead for censors. Votes: 1

The prime goal of censorship is to promote ignorance, whether it is done via lying and bowdlerized school texts or by attacking individual books. Votes: 1

In order to become the chisel that breaks the marble inside us, the artist must first become the hammer." [Soviet censor of paintings and photos] Votes: 1

Who is more to be pitied, a writer bound and gagged by policemen or one living in perfect freedom who has nothing more to say? Votes: 1

Be passionate about what you write, believe in your ability to convey timeless ideas, and let no one tell you what what you're capable of. Votes: 1

A word to the unwise.Torch every book.Char every page.Burn every word to ash.Ideas are incombustible.And therein lies your real fear. Votes: 1

When something needs to be said, I'll say it even if the whole world grabs me by the neck and tells me to keep quiet. Votes: 1

Silence might be a shout for the truth. It might be the speech that someday, in its truest, most uncontaminated, unadulterated state, all will be revealed. Votes: 1

I fear yet this iron yoke of outward conformity hath left a slavish print upon our necks: the ghost of a linnen decency yet haunts us. Votes: 1

Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite so good. Votes: 1

Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight. Votes: 1

There was something so unutterably ridiculous about the sight of a US company deleting posts accusing it of censorship that many other people began to protest. Votes: 1

We fear storms and wild beasts, but we do not censor them. If we must guard ourselves from evil influences we thereby admit their seductive appeal. Votes: 1

A moral argument about whether censorship is good or bad deteriorates quickly into accusations about who is more or less patriotic, moral, pious, and so on. Votes: 1

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. Votes: 1

Free societies...are societies in motion, and with motion comes tension, dissent, friction. Free people strike sparks, and those sparks are the best evidence of freedom's existence. Votes: 1

For, let's face it, digression is the soul of wit. Take philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's father's ghost and what stays is dry bones. Votes: 1

Banning books is just another form of bullying. It's all about fear and an assumption of power. The key is to address the fear and deny the power. Votes: 1

We're all watching each other, so there's no chance for censorship. The main problem is the idiot TV. If you watch local news, your head will turn to mush. Votes: 1

In a society run by terror, no statements whatsoever can be taken seriously. They are all forced, and it is the duty of every honest man to ignore them. Votes: 1

Even in societies where words are often strictly controlled, messages diverse never die. Resembling seeds scattered here and there, they find all manner of cracks and crevices to root. Votes: 1

It didn't come from the Government down. There was no dictum, no declaration, no censorship, to start with, no! Technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick, thank God. Votes: 1

If the partridge didn't call at the wrong moment, Neither the hunter nor the falcon would know of it. It follows from this point also, That everyone's voice betrays him. Votes: 1

I should say here, because some in Washington like to dream up ways to control the Internet, that we don't need to 'control' free speech, we need to control ourselves. Votes: 1

It's red hot, mate. I hate to think of this sort of book getting in the wrong hands. As soon as I've finished this, I shall recommend they ban it. Votes: 1

There is no such thing as a dirty word. Nor is there a word so powerful, that it's going to send the listener to the lake of fire upon hearing it. Votes: 1

By placing discretion in the hands of an official to grant or deny a license, such a statute creates a threat of censorship that by its very existence chills free speech Votes: 1

When you have strict censorship of the internet, young students cannot receive a full education. Their view of the world is imbalanced. There can be no true discussion of the issues. Votes: 1

Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things they're doing and saying in films right now just shouldn't be allowed. There's no dignity anymore and I think that's very important Votes: 1

Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book... Votes: 1

Chinese central government doesn't need to even lead public opinion: it just selectively stops censorship. In other words, just as censorship is a political tool, so is the absence of censorship. Votes: 1

In this age of censorship, I mourn the loss of books that will never be written, I mourn the voices that will be silenced-writers' voices, teachers' voices, students' voices-and all because of fear. Votes: 1

Nick chided a censor, who wished some books gone, and suggested she scan Fahrenheit 451. For the book-budget cutters, Old Claus had no plan, cause if they could read, they just read Ayn Rand. Votes: 1

To be clear, Goodreads staff have not been deleting any posts. A value we've always had here is that we don't censor content (unless it's against our policies - eg porn, etc). [April 1, 2013] Votes: 1

When society gives censors wide and vague powers they never confine themselves to deserving targets. They are not snipers, but machine-gunners. Allow them to fire at will, and they will hit anything that moves. Votes: 1

When the Viennese government compiled a Catalogue of Forbidden Books in 1765, so many Austrians used it as a reading guide that the Hapsburg censors were forced to include the Catalogue itself as a forbidden book. Votes: 1

To limit the press is to insult a nation; to prohibit reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants to be either fools or slaves: such a prohibition ought to fill them with disdain. Votes: 1

Children deprived of words become school dropouts; dropouts deprived of hope behave delinquently. Amateur censors blame delinquency on reading immoral books and magazines, when in fact, the inability to read anything is the basic trouble. Votes: 1

As centuries of dictators have known, an illiterate crowd is the easiest to rule; since the craft of reading cannot be untaught once it has been acquired, the second-best recourse is to limit its scope. Votes: 1

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Votes: 1

The local liberal press, much molested by the censorship, had its courageous and skilful writers such as VM Doroshevich, the master of that semi-literary and semi-journalistic essay at which Bronstein himself was one day to excel. Votes: 1

That said, the question remains: how to strike the balance between free speech and mutual respect in this mixed-up world, both blessed and cursed with instant communication? We should not fight fire with fire, threats with threats. Votes: 1

If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."[Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)] Votes: 1

Information is the oxygen of the modern age. It seeps through the walls topped by barbed wire, it wafts across the electrified borders. ... The Goliath of totalitarianism will be brought down by the David of the microchip. Votes: 1

We get on the bandwagon in all sorts of ways - you know minor ways and major ways - like what you've just encountered which isn't censorship exactly, it was something sort of uglier in a way. Votes: 1

I have a very serious censorship office inside my head; it censors things that I could tell you that you would never forget, and I don't want to be the person to stick that in your brain. Votes: 1

All writers and their readers should stand up and voice their opposition to financial services companies censoring books. Authors should have the freedom to publish legal fiction, and readers should have the freedom to read what they want. Votes: 1

The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him, and that is why Puritanism was the most destructive and evil force which ever oppressed people and their literature: it created hypocrisy, perversion, fears, sterility. Votes: 1

It hardly matters why a library is destroyed: every banning, curtailment, shredding, plunder or loot gives rise (at least as a ghostly presence) to a louder, clearer, more durable library of the banned, looted, plundered, shredded or curtailed. Votes: 1

Those who claim to be hurt by words must be led to expect nothing as compensation. Otherwise, once they learn they can get something by claiming to be hurt, they will go into the business of being offended. Votes: 1

The US constitution's First Amendment rights only cover Americans, but I believe that in a democracy the competition of ideas and free speech should combat beliefs that it does not agree with - more speech and debate, not censorship. Votes: 1

Well, the man who first translated the bible into English was burned at the stake, and they've been at it ever since. Must be all that adultery, murder and incest. But not to worry. It's back on the shelves. Votes: 1

I curse when I get really upset. Letting off steam that way makes me feel a little bit better. I've been through a lot, but I have never had the urge to go postal. I thank fuck for that. Votes: 1

The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because I have to think something else and say something else, I have to always control myself. Votes: 1

Imagine books and music and movies being filtered and homogenized. Certified. Approved for consumption. People will be happy to give up most of their culture for the assurance that the tiny bit that comes through is safe and clean. White noise Votes: 1

Have you ever gotten a bad review, Master Huud?""Hundreds of them.""Do they hurt?""Of course. But you get over it. Critics are just people, lad. They're entitled to their opinions. They're not the enemy.""Who is the enemy?""Censors. Votes: 1

By deciding what is, and is not, allowed to be discussed in a review,by removing discussion of social context, and saying that only thewords on the page count, Goodreads is ignoring fifty years of developmentof literary criticism, and is engaging in censorship. Votes: 1

Look, I get it. Loose stools are grosser than solid ones. But the censor is using the context of her own life history with all her hang-ups to answer the question, "Is there a defensible ratio of fiber to water in this stool? Votes: 1

The amount of violations of human rights in a country is always an inverse function of the amount of complaints about human rights violations heard from there. The greater the number of complaints being aired, the better protected are human rights in that country. Votes: 1

A book is a private thing, citizen; it belongs to the one who writes it and to the one who reads it. Like the mind itself, a book is a private space. Within that space, anything is possible. The greatest evil and the greatest good. Votes: 1

I saw that publishing all over the world was deeply constrained by self-censorship, economics and political censorship, while the military-industrial complex was growing at a tremendous rate, and the amount of information that it was collecting about all of us vastly exceeded the public imagination. Votes: 1

Those who are most sensitive about "politically incorrect" terminology are not the average black ghetto-dweller, Asian immigrant, abused woman or disabled person, but a minority of activists, many of whom do not even belong to any "oppressed" group but come from privileged strata of society. Votes: 1

Books can not be killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force can abolish memory... In this war, we know, books are weapons. And it is a part of your dedication always to make them weapons for man's freedom. Votes: 1

We knew the difference between that which cannot be expressed and that which must. We understood that while words are a path taking us only so far, they are a requisite to the journey. They are like road maps that show us which way to go. Votes: 1

Critical voices have to care about history. We have to care about the way in which things get controlled in the past because that's when the damage gets done and if we don't keep that historical memory, we will allow them to do it again next time. Votes: 1

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. In the long run it will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience. Votes: 1

Digressions, incontestably, are the sunshine, the life, the soul of reading! Take them out and one cold eternal winter would reign in every page. Restore them to the writer - he steps forth like a bridegroom, bids them all-hail, brings in variety and forbids the appetite to fail. Votes: 1

All books can be indecent books, though recent books are bolder. For filth, I'm glad to say, is in the mind of the beholder. When correctly viewed, everything is lewd. I could tell you things about Peter Pan, And the Wizard of OZ, there's a dirty old man! Votes: 1

For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are; nay, they do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. Votes: 1

Media censorship is a prohibition of words and pictures. The war on drugs is a complete failure, and so is the American war on words. When you forbid a word, you give it power. Self-proclaimed rebels will use words like shit or fuck, simply to shock and sound cool. Votes: 1

And that's the most horrible thing about censorship: To avoid falling afoul of the censors, we question ourselves and censor ourselves and make a big deal out of things in our heads. We do the work of the control freaks for them, out of a desire to avoid them. Votes: 1

The committees scour the bookstores, printing and publishing houses, paying particular attention to secondhand bookstores. There, they requisition countless copies of 'Incautious Maidens' or 'Flames at the Metropole.' So that those who prefer the false view of the world presented in cheap novels will never find refuge again. Votes: 1

Young minds - young brains - need stories and ideas like the ones in those [censored and banned] books in order to grow. They need ideas that you disagree with. They need ideas that I disagree with. Or they'll never be able to figure out what ideas they believe in. Votes: 1

Iranian filmmakers are not passive. They fight whenever they can, as creative expression means a lot to them. The restrictions and censorship in Iran are a bit like the British weather: one day it's sunny, the next day it's raining. You just have to hope you walk out into the sunshine. Votes: 1

Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education. Votes: 1

In short, whoever does violence to truth or its expression eventually mutilates justice, even though he thinks he is serving it. From this point of view, we shall deny to the very end that a press is true because it is revolutionary; it will be revolutionary only if it is true, and never otherwise. Votes: 1

It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creeds into law if it acquires the political power to do so, and will follow it by suppressing opposition, subverting all education to seize early the minds of the young, and by killing, locking up, or driving underground all heretics Votes: 1

Censorship is saying: 'I'm the one who says the last sentence. Whatever you say, the conclusion is mine.' But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word - even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper. Votes: 1

OPEN UP THE BLINDOpen the blinds that cover their eyesTurn on the lights inside their mindsPut all judgments and rumors asideAnd instead,Put Truth and Justice At both your sides.Leave the egos and drama all behind.Persevere and be patient in all your strides.And in time...WE WILL WIN.Truth always wins with Time. Votes: 1

Quite frankly, I think political correctness is the worst form of censorship. You're not allowed to speak your mind unless you're black, or unless you're a terrorist, or unless you're an Arab or a minority people. Then you can say what you like. But if you are like a lot of us you are not supposed to say certain things. Votes: 1

I don't believe in censorship. Votes: 0

There's no human censorship at kiosks. Votes: 0

There should be no censorship of mail. Votes: 0

There's hardly any governmental censorship in Korea. Votes: 0

What does censorship reveal? It reveals fear. Votes: 0

The only thing that is obscene is censorship. Votes: 0

I believe in censorship when it benefits me. Votes: 0

The only thing that is obscene is censorship. Votes: 0

I mean, believe me, I'm not for censorship. Votes: 0

Stopping leaks is a new form of censorship. Votes: 0

I don't believe in censorship in any form. Votes: 0

The ultimate censorship is the flick of the dial. Votes: 0

No art ever survived censorship; no art ever will. Votes: 0

One thing that success has taught me is censorship Votes: 0

There shouldn't be any censorship on making a film. Votes: 0

The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. Votes: 0

China is the most repressive censorship regime on the Internet. Votes: 0

The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. Votes: 0

I won't stand for censorship, not even from Jesus Christ. Votes: 0

I worry about censorship in many parts of the world. Votes: 0

Even with censorship, the Internet is a force for change. Votes: 0

Life is full of censorship. I cant spit in your eye. Votes: 0

If [domain seizure] isn't direct censorship, I don't know what is. Votes: 0

I believe in freedom of expression, I don't believe in censorship. Votes: 0

The Internet treats censorship as a malfunction and routes around it. Votes: 0

Any country that has sexual censorship will eventually have political censorship. Votes: 0

Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward. Votes: 0

Secrecy, censorship, dishonesty, and blocking of communication threaten all the basic needs. Votes: 0

There's lot of social censorship now, especially in this era of ubiquitous social media. Votes: 0

I find it very difficult to live through the censorship of profanity on television. Votes: 0

Cisco has not and does not design products for the purpose of political censorship. Votes: 0

In a perfect world, there would be no censorship, because there would be no judgement. Votes: 0

If you have to be careful because of oppression and censorship, this pressure produces diamonds. Votes: 0

Pontius Pilate was the first great censor and Jesus Christ the first great victim of censorship Votes: 0

Pontius Pilate was the first great censor and Jesus Christ the first great victim of censorship. Votes: 0

I consider the official Catholic attitude on divorce, birth control, and censorship exceedingly dangerous to mankind. Votes: 0

A dreary censorship, and self-censorship, has been imposed on books by the centralization of the book industry. Votes: 0

China's censorship and propaganda systems may be complex and multilayered, but they are obviously not well coordinated. Votes: 0

One of the greatest threats facing book publishing, and the entire country for that matter, is censorship. Votes: 0

The trend in China is toward tighter and tighter control. They are basically improving their censorship mechanisms. Votes: 0

There's the belief that we can't be smart enough to write. And certainly censorship of women, too. Votes: 0

I'm a free speech bigot. I don't like censorship; I just don't think it's a good thing. Votes: 0

[T]he German censorship forbade or mutilated my every book, which was like sticking pins into my soul... Votes: 0

... censorship often boils down to some male judges getting to read a lot of dirty books--with one hand. Votes: 0

The censorship is such on television in the U.S. that films like mine don't stand a chance. Votes: 0

I think (the internet) is contributing to Chinese political engagement..access to the outside world is preventing more censorship. Votes: 0

The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship. Votes: 0

Is it really beyond our wits to devise some form of censorship which would trap only the crudely sadistic? Votes: 0

If there is anything that the ACLU hates more than censorship, it is any form of public religious expression. Votes: 0

It takes a strong stomach and a thick skin to be a female activist fighting online censorship in Pakistan. Votes: 0

If you care for the quality of life in our American democracy, then you have to be for censorship. Votes: 0

I am still against any kind of censorship. It's a subject in my life that has been very important. Votes: 0

What is also strange to me is that public libraries have always been in the forefront of opposing censorship. Votes: 0

I understand that people are afraid. Because I think censorship is about fear. It's just fear being projected onto art. Votes: 0

Early American speeches, from Washington's to Patrick Henry's, have been detheologized in history textbooks. No one has called it censorship. Votes: 0

Microsoft, Yahoo and others are helping to institutionalize and legitimize the integration of censorship into the global IT business model. Votes: 0

There was no censorship of the press: in general, the War Measures Act could have been made even more radical. Votes: 0

In the long run [censorship] will create a generation incapable of appreciating the difference between independence of thought and subservience. Votes: 0

Our studies have shown that China's online censorship systems are by far the most sophisticated and extensive in the world. Votes: 0

While the Internet is censored in China, the censorship is allowing a level of speech to take place that's unprecedented. Votes: 0

Assassination is the extreme form of censorship; and it seems hard to justify an incitement to it on anti-censorial principles. Votes: 0

People must not think that all bad in man which is unleashed, the moment you impose censorship disappears from man. Votes: 0

When we begin to lift the veils of censorship and repression in painting, a great deal of energy is unleashed. Votes: 0

We cannot have a society, in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the United States. Votes: 0

I am opposed to censorship. Censors are pretty sure fools. I have no confidence in the suppression of everyday facts. Votes: 0

I think the best thing in cases of censorship or things like this is to get as much media as possible. Votes: 0

Heretical views arise when the truth is uncertain, and it is only when the truth is uncertain that censorship is invoked. Votes: 0

Everyone has an opinion, and the guy screaming for censorship may be the next guy to have his ideas cut off. Votes: 0

Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship. Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind. Votes: 0

The whole principle (censorship) is wrong; it's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't eat steak. Votes: 0

But it also came at a significant cost for human rights, and today's restricted freedom of expression, self-censorship and stunted multi-party democracy. Votes: 0

The worst kind of censorship is the kind that takes place in your own mind before you sit down to a typewriter. Votes: 0

Literature is one of the few areas left where black and white feel some identity of purpose; we all struggle under censorship. Votes: 0

I'm very much interested in music specifically and wanted to make a film about it, but not in an atmosphere of censorship. Votes: 0

An attack upon our ability to tell stories is not just censorship - it is a crime against our nature as human beings. Votes: 0

Another view is Western companies chartered in societies that believe in this kind of censorship shouldn't be carrying water for societies that do. Votes: 0

Our legal and political culture has created a bias in the law that borders on censorship against reading, displaying, or quoting the Bible. Votes: 0

Political correctness is neither political nor is it correct. It amounts to social censorship, and the sooner we spit it out, the better. Votes: 0

The danger of censorship in cultural media increases in proportion to the degree to which one approaches the winning of a mass audience. Votes: 0

I resent the fact that a parental warning sticker has to be included on an album as cover art. To me that's censorship. Votes: 0

As to the evil which results from censorship, it is impossible to measure it, because it is impossible to tell where it ends. Votes: 0

And although I'm all for freedom of expression and against censorship, there are certain things I'm not willing to go to jail for. Votes: 0

I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you're afraid to the point where you censor yourself. Votes: 0

You should not be subjected to the pressures, the intimidation, whether by Government or by the private sector, which would force you into self-censorship. Votes: 0

As to the evil which results from a censorship, it is impossible to measure it, for it is impossible to tell where it ends. Votes: 0

The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to. Votes: 0

When I started to write, it was the '70s, and throughout that decade, we didn't have any problems with book challenges or censorship. Votes: 0

I know that many writers have had to write under censorship and yet produced good novels; for instance, Cervantes wrote Don Quixote under Catholic censorship. Votes: 0

Words alone can rarely justify censorship. If we censor words themselves without looking at the context, we could shut down much of the entertainment industry. Votes: 0

The people are fed up with corruption and embezzlement. They object to censorship. The first thing that the people of Iran want is free elections. Votes: 0

The [China] government has improved in the last years. Of course, the structure is still the same; there's still a one-party system and strong censorship. Votes: 0

Those who call for censorship in the name of the oppressed ought to recognize it is never the oppressed who determine the bounds of censorship. Votes: 0

Sunnybrook Farm is now a parking lot; the petticoats are in the garbage can, where they belong in the modern world; and I detest censorship. Votes: 0

I'm opposed to censorship of any kind, especially by government. But it's plain common sense that producers should target their product with some kind of sensitivity. Votes: 0

Popular culture, in all its crudeness, is the output of liberals. It is liberalism that for decades has rejected any protest as 'censorship' or 'McCarthyism.' Votes: 0

Self-censorship, whether known or unknown, is an unwelcome brake on creativity; it stifles self-expression and hence prevents a work from reaching the heights of great art. Votes: 0

Society develops a type of self-censorship, with the knowledge that surveillance exists - a self-censorship that is even expressed when people communicate with each other privately. Votes: 0

Cable had a latitude to move which created less censorship and bestowed upon the artists, the writers and the creators, more liberty to create their shows. Votes: 0

There is clearly a constituency that appreciates the message that Google is sending, that it finds the Chinese government's attitude to the Internet and censorship unacceptable. Votes: 0

An unread author is an author who is a victim of the worst kind of censorship, indifference - a censorship more effective than the Ecclesiastical Index. Votes: 0

The case against censoring anything is absolute: ... nothing that could be censored can be so bad in its effects, in the long run, as censorship itself. Votes: 0

The first thing dictators do is finish free press, to establish censorship. There is no doubt that a free press is the first enemy of dictatorship. Votes: 0

You know how screwed up censorship is, two girls just agreed to make out naked in front of their fathers, and we went wait, don't curse. Votes: 0

I wanted to do my artistic work, and in Iran you have censorship. It was difficult for me to do the work I wanted to do. Votes: 0

If there had been a censorship of the press in Rome we should have had today neither Horace nor Juvenal, nor the philosophical writings of Cicero. Votes: 0

I always loved music, and I always wanted to make a film about it, but I could never do it because of the censorship that was around. Votes: 0

I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that an artist has to take some moral responsibility for what he or she is putting out there. Votes: 0

Calling China's online censorship system a 'Great Firewall' is increasingly trendy, but misleading. All walls, being the creation of engineers, can be breached with the right tools. Votes: 0

I suppose that writers should, in a way, feel flattered by the censorship laws. They show a primitive fear and dread at the fearful magic of print. Votes: 0

They still had the Lord Chamberlain, so we had this idiotic censorship. We were allowed three Jesus Christs instead of 10. Why three were OK, I don't know." Votes: 0

They still had the Lord Chamberlain, so we had this idiotic censorship. We were allowed three Jesus Christs instead of 10. Why three were OK, I don't know. Votes: 0

SeLF censorsHIP? Not my strong suit...I dont want to be a total d o u c h e b a g , but a little bit of one. Votes: 0

I have pretty strong views about censorship, and I don't like it. I believe that we should be able to monitor our own families and our own children. Votes: 0

We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship we aim at ourselves. Votes: 0

There is a lot of censorship about writing that's exerted from all directions, from families or governments and society, even the fear of being offensive in some way. Votes: 0

Ultimately, censorship comes down to taste. What offends me may enlighten you. Do you want me deciding-based on my taste-what you should or should not be exposed to? Votes: 0

We can speak our honest minds without compromise and without censorship and to each other and to our people. We can take our message directly to our people. Votes: 0

There's a popular saying that the Internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. Desire and innovation will trump policy, the argument goes, as clever programmers circumvent controls. Votes: 0

When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official spokesmen have all the loud-speakers. Votes: 0

I'm a recreational pot-smoker. There has never been enough of a distinction between marijuana and other drugs. It's a human rights issue, a censorship issue, and a choice issue. Votes: 0

You have to be down here in the States to realize just how tightly controlled the corporate media is and how much they practise Soviet-style censorship through creative omission. Votes: 0

Access to the outside world is preventing more censorship. I do think information flow is happening in China. .. There's no doubt in my mind that it's been a huge plus. Votes: 0

But poets were not considered dangerous and they were advised to exercise self-censorship. At most, poets were requested not to write at all. I took advantage of this negative liberty. Votes: 0

Whenever it's suggested that our sponsors have some kind of influence or control of what we cover in some kind of censorship through financial pressure, it's rubbish. That's never happened. Votes: 0

I think what we have in this country is a little more dangerous in a way because it can't be seen fully. It's sorta internal censorship. We censor each other. Votes: 0

Without some form of censorship, propaganda in the strict sense of the word is impossible. In order to conduct propaganda there must be some barrier between the public and the event. Votes: 0

I do not believe in censorship, but I believe we already have censorship in what is called marketing theory, namely the only information we get in mainstream media is for profit. Votes: 0

We do not need a censorship of the press. We have a censorship by the press... It is not we who silence the press. It is the press who silences us. Votes: 0

I like the idea that there's no censorship, because it's consistent with my views that we live in a free society and people ought to be able to express their views. Votes: 0

We are in an era where censorship is creeping back in through the Patriot Act and where people are.. being intimidated not to speak about what we should be speaking about,. Votes: 0

All the signs of incipient activism and uprising, from Tahrir square to Zuccotti Park to [the recent] shutdown of the Internet to protest web censorship. People are getting smart and getting connected. Votes: 0

There is a long standing tradition of using code to evade censorship in China, so that goes on. The trouble is the Chinese government has created the world's most sophisticated censorship machine. Votes: 0

One thing is for sure-none of the arts flourishes on censorship and repression. And by this time it should be evident that the American public is capable of doing its own censoring. Votes: 0

I don't approve of censorship. I like the French theatre idea. Put on the play, and if the audience doesn't care for it, or feels offended by it, they rip up the seats. Votes: 0

It's perfectly within [Martin Peretz] rights [to fire a journalist]. It's a private - you know, th - it's not censorship. The First Amendment doesn't come into play because it's a private magazine. Votes: 0

The world protested our invasion of Iraq, but the people of America were never made aware of that - through the censorship that goes on here, and believe me it's going on here. Votes: 0

As we see censorship it is a stupid giant traffic policeman answering "Yes" to "Am I my brother's copper?" He guards a one-way street and his semaphore has four signs, all marked "stop. Votes: 0

Money, first and foremost, is a medium of communication, conveying the information we call 'price'. Government control of the money supply is censorship, a violation of the First Amendment. Inflation is a lie. Votes: 0

Propaganda by censorship takes two forms: the selective control of information to favour a particular viewpoint, and the deliberate doctoring of information in order to create an impression different from that originally intended. Votes: 0

Decades of indoctrination, manipulation, censorship and KGB excursions haven't altered this fact: People want a piece of their own little Something-or-Other, and, if they don't get it, have a tendency to initiate counterrevolution. Votes: 0

Chinese artists have been subversive over thousands of years, taking what they think of the government and embedding it in their art. There might be censorship of not going as far as they might. Votes: 0

The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient. Votes: 0

Joe Lieberman was threatening censorship. What I'm arguing is that if the creative people in Hollywood themselves have a responsibility, have a moral responsibility in terms of smoking, not to show smoking in movies. Votes: 0

There are always forces at work in a society, which are really forces of censorship - either religious bodies or zealots who are always putting pressure on things, whether it's books or art or film. Votes: 0

Like it or not, Google and the Chinese government are stuck in a tense, long-term relationship, and can look forward to more high-stakes shadow-boxing in the netherworld of the world's most elaborate system of censorship. Votes: 0

The Central Propaganda Department is the highest-ranking censorship agency in China. And it has control over everything from the appointment of newspaper editors to university professors to the way that films are cut and distributed. Votes: 0

As in Pakistan, Tunisian and Egyptian human rights activists are concerned that any censorship mechanisms, once put in place, will inevitably be abused for political purposes no matter what censorship proponents claim to the contrary. Votes: 0

Once a paper admits any principle of censorship for survival, the we-don't-want-to-do-it-but-we-don't-want-to-lose-the-printer kind of censorship, it jeopardizes the integrity of its editorial principle. It's better to print and be damned, because you'll be damned anyway. Votes: 0