--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-censorship is insulting to the self…" description: "\"Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/ai-weiwei-824_censorship_self-censorship-is-insulting-to-the-self_422387.png" --- # Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a… ![“Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/ai-weiwei-824_censorship_self-censorship-is-insulting-to-the-self_422387.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/ai-weiwei-824_censorship_self-censorship-is-insulting-to-the-self_422387.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/ai-weiwei-824_censorship_self-censorship-is-insulting-to-the-self_422387.png) > “Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.” [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. Self-censorship harms personal authenticity; timidity prevents progress. **In simple terms:** Avoid self-censorship and fear. Key Takeaway Speak your truth boldly. Themes freedom authenticity courage Mood defiant inspirational Type philosophical political When to use this quote - creative work - activism - public speaking - journalism Key Concepts political expression personal integrity Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from speaking out? - How can societies protect free expression? A Different Perspective Risk of backlash or repression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Censorship Insulting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship-insulting-3740661/) [Hopeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopeless/) [Insulting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insulting/) [Insulting Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insulting-self-3740660/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-censorship/) [Self Timidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-timidity-3740662/) [Timidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timidity/) [Timidity Hopeless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timidity-hopeless-3740663/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-forward/) ## Related quotes > [Self-censorship is a lie to yourself; if you are going to be trying to seriously create art, to create literary art, and you decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/self-censorship-is-a-lie-to-yourself-if-you-are-going-to-be-trying-to/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A dreary censorship, and self-censorship, has been imposed on books by the centralization of the book industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/a-dreary-censorship-and-self-censorship-has-been-imposed-on-books-by/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/you-should-not-be-subjected-to-the-pressures-the-intimidation-whether/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/the-worst-evil-is-and-that-s-the-product-of-censorship-is-the-self/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Self-censorship, the most important and most successful form of censorship, is rampant. Debate is identified with dissent, which is in turn identified with disloyalty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/self-censorship-the-most-important-and-most-successful-form-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Making independent films is liberating. It eliminates self-censorship, which mainstream films are infected with due to commercial priorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arfi-lamba/making-independent-films-is-liberating-it-eliminates-self-censorship/) [Arfi Lamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arfi-lamba/) > [“What are the consequences when the government, the media, and the leaders of commerce all speak with one voice? Why, it means that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/what-are-the-consequences-when-the-government-the-media-and-the/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Self-censorship as a result of intimidation or social pressures, sometimes referred to as "political correctness", constitutes a serious obstacle to the proper functioning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/self-censorship-as-a-result-of-intimidation-or-social-pressures/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [SeLF censorsHIP? Not my strong suit...I dont want to be a total d o u c h e b a g , but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/self-censorship-not-my-strong-suit-i-dont-want-to-be-a-total-d-o-u-c/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) > [Self-censorship happens not only in China, or Iran or ex-Soviet places. It can happen anywhere. If an artist penetrates a certain taboo or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/self-censorship-happens-not-only-in-china-or-iran-or-ex-soviet-places/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-think-the-enemy-is-self-censorship-in-a-free-society-the-biggest/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/society-develops-a-type-of-self-censorship-with-the-knowledge-that/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [On Broadway, there is no censoring, just self-censorship and doing what makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lopez/on-broadway-there-is-no-censoring-just-self-censorship-and-doing-what/) [Robert Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lopez/) > [“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'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/in-this-age-of-censorship-i-mourn-the-loss-of-books-that-will-never/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) ## 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 Censorship quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I don't believe in censorship in any form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-in-any-form/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“I agree that it's a shame some books have to suffer ratings that clearly are invalid. However I can't think of a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/i-agree-that-it-s-a-shame-some-books-have-to-suffer-ratings-that/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [The only thing that is obscene is censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-that-is-obscene-is-censorship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a feature film, the question of censorship always comes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/in-a-feature-film-the-question-of-censorship-always-comes-up/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) [Browse all 884 Censorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Self-censorship is insulting to the self. 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