Despicable Quote by Alan Dershowitz
“Individuals have the right to pick and choose which expressions to condemn, which to praise and which to say nothing about. Governments, however, must remain neutral as to the content of expression. And governments must protect the rights of all to express even the most despicable of views.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Speech and Liberty, 2015
Governments must stay neutral on speech content, protecting all expression, even offensive, while individuals choose what to endorse.
In simple terms: Governments protect all speech; individuals choose what to support.
Key Takeaway
Uphold free expression, respect personal choice.
Themes
free speech
government neutrality
rights
censorship
pluralism
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- media regulation
- public debates
- online platforms
- activism
Key Concepts
constitutional law
political theory
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How should societies handle harmful speech?
- What limits, if any, should exist on expression?
A Different Perspective
Balancing protection with preventing hate speech is complex.
![“The American experiment, the United States in the past eight years [2008-2016] was not considered worthy of leading, because we had committed too many transgressions. We didn't have the moral authority to lead anybody because we had too many injustices in our past and too many discriminations and…” quote by Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/837/rush-limbaugh-28_authority_the-american-experiment-the-united-state_153892.jpg)
