--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If today you can take a thing like…" description: "\"If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/clarence-darrow-1714_bans_if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolu_2333560.png" --- # If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a… ![“If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools, and the next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and…” quote by Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/clarence-darrow-1714_bans_if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolu_2333560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/clarence-darrow-1714_bans_if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolu_2333560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aee/clarence-darrow-1714_bans_if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolu_2333560.png) > “If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools, and the next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and newspapers. Soon you may set Catholic against Protestant and Protestant against Protestant, and try to foist your own religion upon the minds of men.” [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Restricting teaching of topics like evolution leads to broader censorship, threatening free thought across institutions. **In simple terms:** Censorship spreads beyond the target. Key Takeaway Defend academic freedom to protect broader liberties. Themes censorship education freedom religion Mood defensive concerned Type legal ethical When to use this quote - school curricula decisions - legislative hearings - community forums Key Concepts first amendment intellectual autonomy public discourse Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of teaching controversial subjects? - How does censorship affect societal progress? A Different Perspective Some argue moral protection outweighs free speech; debate persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ban Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ban-books-588505/) [Bans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bans/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-teach-588508/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Make Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-crime-574721/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-year/) [Private school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-school/) [Protestant Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestant-try-588507/) [Protestants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestants/) [Public school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Scopes trial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scopes-trial/) [Session](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/session/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Hustings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-hustings-5622357/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolution-and-make-it-a-crime-to/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/if-today-you-can-take-a-thing-like-evolution-and-make-it-a-crime-to-3/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I want to again highlight the desperate need for us to pull together - the world over - to tackle knife crime and teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermain-defoe/i-want-to-again-highlight-the-desperate-need-for-us-to-pull-together/) [Jermain Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermain-defoe/) > [It is bigotry for public schools to teach only one theory of origins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/it-is-bigotry-for-public-schools-to-teach-only-one-theory-of-origins/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Make crime pay. Become a lawyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/make-crime-pay-become-a-lawyer/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [There are certain things that words on paper can never make a crime, .. There are certain acts that by sheer common sense are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/there-are-certain-things-that-words-on-paper-can-never-make-a-crime/) [Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/) > [We should make it a crime even to attempt to pollute. Our children should grow up next to parks, not poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/we-should-make-it-a-crime-even-to-attempt-to-pollute-our-children/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [It is impossible to make it a crime to take your eyes off your children without also making it a crime to be poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-brooks/it-is-impossible-to-make-it-a-crime-to-take-your-eyes-off-your/) [Kim Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-brooks/) > [If you are going to break a Law of Art, make the crime interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/if-you-are-going-to-break-a-law-of-art-make-the-crime-interesting/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [To make crime unprofitable, let the government run it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-peter/to-make-crime-unprofitable-let-the-government-run-it/) [Irene Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-peter/) > [Make it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-weller/make-it-a-crime-to-harm-a-fetus-during-another-crime/) [Jerry Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-weller/) > [Religious fundamentalists in Bangladesh have always argued for a ban on my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taslima-nasrin/religious-fundamentalists-in-bangladesh-have-always-argued-for-a-ban/) [Taslima Nasrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taslima-nasrin/) > [“It's stupid to ban books that tell you the truth about life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kohler/it-s-stupid-to-ban-books-that-tell-you-the-truth-about-life/) [Sheila Kohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kohler/) > [I don't want to be shut out from the truth. If they ban books, they might as well lock us away from the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-edwards/i-don-t-want-to-be-shut-out-from-the-truth-if-they-ban-books-they/) [Rory Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-edwards/) > [Americans may not always live up to the Bill of Rights, but Americans do not ban books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-a-smith/americans-may-not-always-live-up-to-the-bill-of-rights-but-americans/) [Bradley A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-a-smith/) ## More by Clarence Darrow > [We know life is futile. A man who considers that his life is of very wonderful importance is awfully close to a padded cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/we-know-life-is-futile-a-man-who-considers-that-his-life-is-of-very/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Great wealth often curses all who touch it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/great-wealth-often-curses-all-who-touch-it/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Punishment as punishment is not admissible unless the offender has had the free will to select his course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/punishment-as-punishment-is-not-admissible-unless-the-offender-has/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“One of the bravest, grandest champions of human liberty the world has ever seen. {Darrow on the great Robert Ingersoll }”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/one-of-the-bravest-grandest-champions-of-human-liberty-the-world-has/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I cannot tell and I shall never know how many words of mine might have given birth to cruelty in place of love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/i-cannot-tell-and-i-shall-never-know-how-many-words-of-mine-might/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no man objected and if no man rebelled, those wrongs would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/as-long-as-the-world-shall-last-there-will-be-wrongs-and-if-no-man/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/i-have-never-killed-a-man-but-i-have-read-many-obituaries-with-great/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/lost-causes-are-the-only-ones-worth-fighting-for/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [One believes in the truthfulness of a man because of his long experience with the man, and because the man has always told a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/one-believes-in-the-truthfulness-of-a-man-because-of-his-long/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Physical deformity, calls forth our charity. But the infinite misfortune of moral deformity calls forth nothing but hatred and vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/physical-deformity-calls-forth-our-charity-but-the-infinite/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Men have always been obliged to fight to preserve liberty. Constitutions and laws do not safeguard liberty. It can be preserved only by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/men-have-always-been-obliged-to-fight-to-preserve-liberty/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“ Robert G. Ingersoll was a great man. a wonderful intellect, a great soul of matchless courage, one of the great men of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/robert-g-ingersoll-was-a-great-man-a-wonderful-intellect-a-great-soul/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Everybody is a potential murderer. I've never killed anyone, but I frequently get satisfaction reading the obituary notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/everybody-is-a-potential-murderer-i-ve-never-killed-anyone-but-i/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [The first half of our lives are ruined by our parents and the second half by our children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/the-first-half-of-our-lives-are-ruined-by-our-parents-and-the-second/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [If there is a soul, what is it, and where did it come from, and where does it go? Can anyone who is guided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/if-there-is-a-soul-what-is-it-and-where-did-it-come-from-and-where/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) [Explore all 213 Clarence Darrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) ## More Bans quotes > [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Why dost thou shrink from my approach, O Man? Why dost thou ever flee in fear, and cling To my false rival, Life? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/why-dost-thou-shrink-from-my-approach-o-man-why-dost-thou-ever-flee/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I want to break up the Wall Street banks. Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Art penetrates, no matter how many bans you put out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mawra-hocane/art-penetrates-no-matter-how-many-bans-you-put-out/) [Mawra Hocane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mawra-hocane/) > [The American people intuitively understand this, which is why the majority of Catholics practice birth control and some of those opposed to gay marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-american-people-intuitively-understand-this-which-is-why-the/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [In every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/in-every-state-of-the-union-fundamentalists-still-fight-to-ban-all/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [My argument is focused on the fact that a relatively small percentage of the world's Muslim countries are impacted by this order. Stated differently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-rivkin/my-argument-is-focused-on-the-fact-that-a-relatively-small-percentage/) [David B. Rivkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-rivkin/) > [It is cruel for you to leave your daughter, so full of hopeand resolve, to suffer the humiliations of disfranchisement she already feels so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/it-is-cruel-for-you-to-leave-your-daughter-so-full-of-hopeand-resolve/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Banning guns, drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, political incorrectness, and gay marriage hasn't worked. We should ban Life. So long as even one of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/banning-guns-drugs-alcohol-premarital-sex-political-incorrectness-and/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [The most damaging prejudice consists of banning any kind of investigation of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-most-damaging-prejudice-consists-of-banning-any-kind-of/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida's ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held \[as views of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lewis-hinkle/when-observers-look-back-50-years-from-now-the-arguments-supporting/) [Robert Lewis Hinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lewis-hinkle/) > [The bill would ban human cloning, and any attempts at human cloning, for both reproductive purposes and medical research. Also forbidden is the importing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-calvert/the-bill-would-ban-human-cloning-and-any-attempts-at-human-cloning/) [Ken Calvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-calvert/) > [We should totally ban for-profit charters. For-profit's first obligation is to its stockholders, not to its children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/we-should-totally-ban-for-profit-charters-for-profit-s-first/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [I have been asked what would I ban immediately if I could. Advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-have-been-asked-what-would-i-ban-immediately-if-i-could-advertising/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Lacking its own ingenuity, the parasite fears the visionary. What it cannot plagiarize, it seeks to censor. What it cannot regulate, it seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ryan/lacking-its-own-ingenuity-the-parasite-fears-the-visionary-what-it/) [Andrew Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ryan/) [Browse all 318 Bans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bans/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If today you can take a thing like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public school, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools, and the next year you can make it a crime to teach it to the hustings or in the church. At the next session you may ban books and newspapers. 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