--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way to make a library safe is to…" description: "\"“The only way to make a library safe is to lock people out of it. As long as they are allowed to read the books 'any old time they have a mind to,' lib..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/edmund-s-morgan-2-187165_books_the-only-way-to-make-a-library-safe-is-t_2032204.jpg" --- # The only way to make a library safe is to lock people out… ![“The only way to make a library safe is to lock people out of it. As long as they are allowed to read the books 'any old time they have a mind to,' libraries will remain the nurseries of heresy and independence of thought. They will, in fact, preserve that freedom which is a far more important part…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/edmund-s-morgan-2-187165_books_the-only-way-to-make-a-library-safe-is-t_2032204.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/edmund-s-morgan-2-187165_books_the-only-way-to-make-a-library-safe-is-t_2032204.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/edmund-s-morgan-2-187165_books_the-only-way-to-make-a-library-safe-is-t_2032204.jpg) > ““The only way to make a library safe is to lock people out of it. As long as they are allowed to read the books 'any old time they have a mind to,' libraries will remain the nurseries of heresy and independence of thought. They will, in fact, preserve that freedom which is a far more important part of our lives than any ideology or orthodoxy, the freedom that dissolves orthodoxies and inspires solutions to the ever-changing challenges of the future. I hope that your library and mine will continue in this way to be dangerous for many years to come.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Libraries should protect ideas by limiting unrestricted access, preserving freedom that challenges orthodoxy and sparks innovation. **In simple terms:** Restricting access keeps libraries a source of critical, independent thought. Key Takeaway Balance openness with safeguards for intellectual freedom. Themes freedom critical thought innovation library orthodoxy Mood cautious reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - public policy - education - library management - digital access - censorship Key Concepts intellectual autonomy social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can libraries protect freedom without censoring? - What safeguards balance safety and openness? A Different Perspective Too much restriction can stifle knowledge and marginalize voices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Libraries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libraries/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“Massive changes may have occurred in libraries in recent years, with new digital resources and services supplementing the old traditional resources and services, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-sansom/massive-changes-may-have-occurred-in-libraries-in-recent-years-with/) [Ian Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-sansom/) > [“Living outside the Library was never safe. 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I hope you will make a good use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/posterity-you-will-never-know-how-much-it-cost-the-present-generation/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire, or preserve his freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/a-man-who-believes-in-freedom-will-do-anything-under-the-sun-to/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [The peace we seek in the world is not the flimsy peace which is merely an interlude between wars, but a peace which can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/the-peace-we-seek-in-the-world-is-not-the-flimsy-peace-which-is/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [The function of the law is not to provide justice or to preserve freedom. The function of the law is to keep those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-function-of-the-law-is-not-to-provide-justice-or-to-preserve/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. 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I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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! 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