---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe if literature was prohibited the…"
description: "\"Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as cocaine, people out of pure curiosity would try to get a couple of lines\" — Alejandro Jodorowsky"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png"
---

#  Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as…

![“Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as cocaine, people out of pure curiosity would try to get a couple of lines” quote by Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png)

> “Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as cocaine, people out of pure curiosity would try to get a couple of lines”

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

If literature were banned like a drug, curiosity would drive people to seek it, highlighting the allure of forbidden knowledge.

**In simple terms:** Banning books makes people want them more.

Key Takeaway

Respect freedom of expression.

Themes

censorship curiosity knowledge freedom of speech

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical warning

When to use this quote

- education
- policy making
- public discourse
- creative expression

Key Concepts

psychology of prohibition social control

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives people to seek prohibited ideas?
- How does censorship affect cultural growth?

A Different Perspective

Potential backlash and underground markets may arise.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cocaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cocaine/) [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Cocaine made people deaf, it made people dead and it made people real obnoxious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/cocaine-made-people-deaf-it-made-people-dead-and-it-made-people-real/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [“I saw at once the way to appeal to him.. 'Well, of course you know.' I said, 'in really smart circles one has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-saw-at-once-the-way-to-appeal-to-him-well-of-course-you-know-i-said/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [“You don't find the concept of illicit love at all engaging?” “The concept, maybe. But in literature? That's like ordering a glass of tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/you-don-t-find-the-concept-of-illicit-love-at-all-engaging-the/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [“love: a chemical history. ...The second stage, attraction, is governed by dopamine and serotonin. When, for example, couples report feeling indescribably happy in each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/love-a-chemical-history-the-second-stage-attraction-is-governed-by/)

[Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/)

> [Why not go to war just for oil? We need oil. What do Hollywood celebrities imagine fuels their private jets? How do they think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/why-not-go-to-war-just-for-oil-we-need-oil-what-do-hollywood/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [“The alcoholic retains the ability to condemn his addiction and advise those not subject to it to avoid succumbing to the liquid poison. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pitigrilli/the-alcoholic-retains-the-ability-to-condemn-his-addiction-and-advise/)

[Pitigrilli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pitigrilli/)

> [Pecans are not cheap, my hons. In fact, in the South, the street value of shelled pecans just before holiday baking season is roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rivenbark/pecans-are-not-cheap-my-hons-in-fact-in-the-south-the-street-value-of/)

[Celia Rivenbark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rivenbark/)

> [“I was standing by the car when two police officers showed up in the alley, very interested in me and the BMW in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/i-was-standing-by-the-car-when-two-police-officers-showed-up-in-the/)

[Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/)

> [It is not heroin or cocaine that makes one an addict, it is the need to escape from a harsh reality. There are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-chisholm/it-is-not-heroin-or-cocaine-that-makes-one-an-addict-it-is-the-need/)

[Shirley Chisholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-chisholm/)

> [Your kiss is bitter with cocaine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/your-kiss-is-bitter-with-cocaine/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [“It is cocaine," he said, "a seven-per-cent solution. Would you care to try it?" "No, indeed," I answered brusquely. "My constitution has not got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/it-is-cocaine-he-said-a-seven-per-cent-solution-would-you-care-to-try/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [What we don't know is about Jeb Bush and cocaine. But we do know that he did once had his brother Florida on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/what-we-don-t-know-is-about-jeb-bush-and-cocaine-but-we-do-know-that/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [We were talking briefly about cocaine... yeah. Anything that makes you paranoid and impotent, give me more of that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/we-were-talking-briefly-about-cocaine-yeah-anything-that-makes-you/)

[Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/)

> [Cocaine decisions that you make today, will mean nothing later on when you get nose decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/cocaine-decisions-that-you-make-today-will-mean-nothing-later-on-when/)

[Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/)

> [“Woe to you, my Princess, when I come. I will kiss you quite red and feed you till you are plump. And if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/woe-to-you-my-princess-when-i-come-i-will-kiss-you-quite-red-and-feed/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

## More by Alejandro Jodorowsky

> [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [I have always thought that, of all the arts, the cinema is the most complete art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-have-always-thought-that-of-all-the-arts-the-cinema-is-the-most/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [My writing routine is everyday I put a record on, the same one since 20 years. Then I burn a stick of incense, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/my-writing-routine-is-everyday-i-put-a-record-on-the-same-one-since/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [If you are great, 'El Topo' is a great picture. If you are limited, 'El Topo' is limited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/if-you-are-great-el-topo-is-a-great-picture-if-you-are-limited-el/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> ['Santa Sangre' is the picture I love the best, myself, because 'El Topo' and 'The Holy Mountain' I made with my head, and 'Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/santa-sangre-is-the-picture-i-love-the-best-myself-because-el-topo/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Surrealism was necessary - essential, even - in the 1920s to bridge the gap between rationalism and the subconscious. It started something important. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/surrealism-was-necessary-essential-even-in-the-1920s-to-bridge-the/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Life is beautiful, what do you think? In the morning I say, 'Ah, I am alive still!' All my friends die already. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/life-is-beautiful-what-do-you-think-in-the-morning-i-say-ah-i-am/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [One day I was sitting in my own pain, and suddenly all the pain and troubles of the world came to me. I received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/one-day-i-was-sitting-in-my-own-pain-and-suddenly-all-the-pain-and/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [You can’t have a masterpiece without madness,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/you-can-t-have-a-masterpiece-without-madness/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [It's so weird to be alive and to be inside a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/it-s-so-weird-to-be-alive-and-to-be-inside-a-body/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [I don't see myself as a moviemaker only, you know? When I can do a picture, I do. But I don't work like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-moviemaker-only-you-know-when-i-can-do-a/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [I was alone as a child. I lived in fairytales, adventures, Shakespeare. They are the friends, my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/i-was-alone-as-a-child-i-lived-in-fairytales-adventures-shakespeare/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Psychoanalysis wants to heal with words and speaking, but sometimes with speaking, you realize nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/psychoanalysis-wants-to-heal-with-words-and-speaking-but-sometimes/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Words don't heal. Art heals!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/words-don-t-heal-art-heals/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [Being essentially a creator, I never set out to shock, always thinking about creating my work and not about the benefits it could produce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/being-essentially-a-creator-i-never-set-out-to-shock-always-thinking/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

[Explore all 191 Alejandro Jodorowsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as cocaine, people out of pure curiosity would try to get a couple of lines",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alejandro Jodorowsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-same-way-as-cocaine-people-out/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-same-way-as-cocaine-people-out/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/516/alejandro-jodorowsky-1890_books_maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-s_2006630.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Maybe if literature was prohibited the same way as cocaine, people out of pure curiosity would try to get a…” — Alejandro Jodorowsky",
                "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": "Alejandro Jodorowsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Maybe if literature was prohibited the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-same-way-as-cocaine-people-out/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/maybe-if-literature-was-prohibited-the-same-way-as-cocaine-people-out/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
