--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas…" description: "\"Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only adds to the murk.\" — Henry Miller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg" --- # Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only… ![“Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only adds to the murk.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg) > “Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only adds to the murk.” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obscenity purges societal taboos, while pornography merely adds to moral murk. **In simple terms:** Obscenity cleanses; pornography muddies. Key Takeaway Recognize the difference between critique and exploitation. Themes morality art censorship purification exploitation Mood critical analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - media consumption - art criticism - social discourse Key Concepts Philosophical critique cultural analysis Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define cleansing versus degrading? - How does context affect perception? A Different Perspective Distinguishing line can be subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleansing/) [Ethnic cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethnic-cleansing/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Obscenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity/) [Obscenity Cleansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity-cleansing-1337164/) [Pornography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornography/) [Pornography Adds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pornography-adds-1337166/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Pornography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-pornography-1337165/) ## Related quotes > [We must not forget; but we must forgive. Suffering often such compassion from the Jewish community. It was Jewish groups in the US who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/we-must-not-forget-but-we-must-forgive-suffering-often-such/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [The Bible may, indeed does, contain a warrant for trafficking in humans, for ethnic cleansing, for slavery, for bride-price, and for indiscriminate massacre, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-bible-may-indeed-does-contain-a-warrant-for-trafficking-in-humans/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [How can we return the occupied territories? There is nobody to return them to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golda-meir/how-can-we-return-the-occupied-territories-there-is-nobody-to-return/) [Golda Meir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golda-meir/) > [History tells us that six million Jews disappeared during that war. If there was no Holocaust, where did they go?' She shakes her head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/history-tells-us-that-six-million-jews-disappeared-during-that-war-if/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [All this happiness on display is suspect... If they think - and they could be right - that continued torture and summary executions, ethnic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/all-this-happiness-on-display-is-suspect-if-they-think-and-they-could/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [The Palestinians are like crocodiles, the more you give them meat, they want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/the-palestinians-are-like-crocodiles-the-more-you-give-them-meat-they/) [Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/) > [We do not wish and do not need to expel Arabs and take their places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ben-gurion/we-do-not-wish-and-do-not-need-to-expel-arabs-and-take-their-places/) [David Ben-Gurion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ben-gurion/) > [It is the duty of Israeli leaders to explain to public opinion, clearly and courageously, a certain number of facts that are forgotten with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-sharon/it-is-the-duty-of-israeli-leaders-to-explain-to-public-opinion/) [Ariel Sharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-sharon/) > [I wrote about Bosnia at the time. Somebody looked out their window and saw gangsters coming down the street and doing ethnic cleansing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/i-wrote-about-bosnia-at-the-time-somebody-looked-out-their-window-and/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [I'd like to teach Iraq about Democracy because we're so experienced with it. First they should know that after 100 years they should free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-d-like-to-teach-iraq-about-democracy-because-we-re-so-experienced/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [What liberals mean by 'goose-stepping' or 'ethnic cleansing' is generally something along the lines of 'eliminating taxpayer funding for the National Endowment for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/what-liberals-mean-by-goose-stepping-or-ethnic-cleansing-is-generally/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [ In terms intellectually, \[what\] shaped my life was the whole Munich thing \[the Munich Agreement\] that I knew about all my life, in terms… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-terms-intellectually-what-shaped-my-life-was-the-whole-munich/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [We walked outside, Ben-Gurion accompanying us. Allon repeated his question, What is to be done with the Palestinian population?' Ben-Gurion waved his hand in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-rabin/we-walked-outside-ben-gurion-accompanying-us-allon-repeated-his/) [Yitzhak Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-rabin/) > [Israel should have exploited the repression of the demonstrations in China, when world attention focused on that country, to carry out mass expulsions among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/israel-should-have-exploited-the-repression-of-the-demonstrations-in/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [I have wanted to give Iraq a lesson in democracy - because we're experienced with it, you know. And, in democracy, after a hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-wanted-to-give-iraq-a-lesson-in-democracy-because-we-re/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/) [Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/) > [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/) [Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) > [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) [Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only adds to the murk.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas-pornography-only-adds-to-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Add" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas-pornography-only-adds-to-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec7/henry-miller-179_add_obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas_2530251.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas pornography only adds to the murk.” — Henry Miller", "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": "Henry Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obscenity is a cleansing process, whereas...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas-pornography-only-adds-to-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/obscenity-is-a-cleansing-process-whereas-pornography-only-adds-to-the/#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 } } ] } ```