--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it’s a responsibility for any…" description: "\"I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png" --- # I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect… ![“I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png) > “I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists bear a duty to safeguard free expression and to amplify its reach by any means. **In simple terms:** Artists must protect and expand free speech. Key Takeaway Use art to defend and spread freedom. Themes freedom responsibility artistic activism Mood determined defiant Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - public installations - media campaigns - exhibitions - digital art - community workshops Key Concepts censorship resistance social impact Questions to Reflect On - How can art effectively challenge censorship? - What risks are worth taking for expression? A Different Perspective Balancing activism with personal safety can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-protect-3562134/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-expression/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Protect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect/) [Protect Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-freedom/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Responsibility Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility-artist-389277/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Free speech is essential to education, especially to a liberal education, which encourages the search for truths in art and science. If expression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-dorsen/free-speech-is-essential-to-education-especially-to-a-liberal/) [Norman Dorsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-dorsen/) > [My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression, a new way of communication. It is never about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/my-definition-of-art-has-always-been-the-same-it-is-about-freedom-of-3/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China didn't want to lose the cutting edge of technology. So the idea of having a Sina Weibo was an attempt to compete with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-didn-t-want-to-lose-the-cutting-edge-of-technology-so-the-idea/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression \[…\] I don’t think anybody can separate art from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/my-definition-of-art-has-always-been-the-same-it-is-about-freedom-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Widespread state control over art and culture has left no room for freedom of expression in the country. For more than 60 years, anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/widespread-state-control-over-art-and-culture-has-left-no-room-for/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Freedom of expression is a very essential condition for me to make any art. Also, it is an essential value for my life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/freedom-of-expression-is-a-very-essential-condition-for-me-to-make/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [We should also leave behind discrimination, because it is narrow-minded and ignorant, denies contact and warmth; and corrodes mankind's belief that we can better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/we-should-also-leave-behind-discrimination-because-it-is-narrow/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If there is no freedom of expression, then the beauty of life is lost. Participation in a society is not an artistic choice, it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-there-is-no-freedom-of-expression-then-the-beauty-of-life-is-lost/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [But how is the artist to protect himself against the corruption of the age which besets him on all sides?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-how-is-the-artist-to-protect-himself-against-the-corruption-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People who think of children's nudity as a tool don't need freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-chan/people-who-think-of-children-s-nudity-as-a-tool-don-t-need-freedom-of/) [Agnes Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-chan/) > [All over the world, there is someone sitting in a cell because he or she is not allowed freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/all-over-the-world-there-is-someone-sitting-in-a-cell-because-he-or/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [We thought the church had withdrawn from interfering in Italian politics... but instead there is a terrible resurgence. These are ugly signs for freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-fo/we-thought-the-church-had-withdrawn-from-interfering-in-italian/) [Dario Fo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-fo/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Well, one thing, you got to stand in a courtroom and listen to a judge sentencing you to 25 years in prison before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-flynt/well-one-thing-you-got-to-stand-in-a-courtroom-and-listen-to-a-judge/) [Larry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-flynt/) > [It's one of the things I really admire about Sly - we were all allowed to use our creativity, to have freedom of expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-graham/it-s-one-of-the-things-i-really-admire-about-sly-we-were-all-allowed/) [Larry Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-graham/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ai Weiwei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-artist-to-protect-freedom-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-artist-to-protect-freedom-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-ar_1195098.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend…” — Ai Weiwei", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ai Weiwei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it’s a responsibility for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-artist-to-protect-freedom-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-it-s-a-responsibility-for-any-artist-to-protect-freedom-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```