--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you don't encourage healthy sexual…" description: "\"If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in public, you get unhealthy sexual expression in private. If you attempt to suppress sex in books, ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/hugh-hefner-2102_book_if-you-don-t-encourage-healthy-sexual-ex_739824.jpg" --- # If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in… ![“If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in public, you get unhealthy sexual expression in private. If you attempt to suppress sex in books, magazines, movies and even everyday conversation, you aren't helping to make sex more private, just more hidden. You're keeping sex in the dark. What…” quote by Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/hugh-hefner-2102_book_if-you-don-t-encourage-healthy-sexual-ex_739824.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/hugh-hefner-2102_book_if-you-don-t-encourage-healthy-sexual-ex_739824.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ba/hugh-hefner-2102_book_if-you-don-t-encourage-healthy-sexual-ex_739824.jpg) > “If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in public, you get unhealthy sexual expression in private. If you attempt to suppress sex in books, magazines, movies and even everyday conversation, you aren't helping to make sex more private, just more hidden. You're keeping sex in the dark. What we've tried to do is turn on the lights.” [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open discussion of sexuality reduces secrecy and unhealthy repression, promoting healthier attitudes. **In simple terms:** Talk openly about sex to avoid hidden problems. Key Takeaway Encourage healthy public dialogue about sex. Themes sexuality openness health culture Mood controversial provocative Type social cultural When to use this quote - education - media policy - personal relationships Key Concepts media influence social norms privacy Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance openness with respect for differing values? - What role should media play in sexual education? A Different Perspective Public openness can clash with cultural conservatism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) ## Related quotes > [“Purity culture often functions by shaming us for seeking knowledge about our own bodies. Studying even the scientific elements of sexual intercourse can feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-anderson/purity-culture-often-functions-by-shaming-us-for-seeking-knowledge/) [Dianna Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-anderson/) > [“Each time that an unhealthy sexual pattern is repeated, a neurological, emotional and spiritual erosion carves out a channel that will eventually develop into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-m-struthers/each-time-that-an-unhealthy-sexual-pattern-is-repeated-a-neurological/) [William M. Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-m-struthers/) > [“And so the twins had remained virgins. Julia and Valentina watched all of their high school and college friends disappear one by one into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/and-so-the-twins-had-remained-virgins-julia-and-valentina-watched-all/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [Sex may be private in the way that you make love, but it's not private in the context of the world we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/sex-may-be-private-in-the-way-that-you-make-love-but-it-s-not-private/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [Traditionally, sex has been a very private, secretive activity. Herein perhaps lies its powerful force for uniting people in a strong bond. As we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-szasz/traditionally-sex-has-been-a-very-private-secretive-activity-herein/) [Thomas Szasz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-szasz/) > [sex has never been private and it never will be. We perform the act in private but we must be public about the connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/sex-has-never-been-private-and-it-never-will-be-we-perform-the-act-in/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [The belief that female sexual expression is uniquely dehumanizing is a double standard, no matter how much you dress it up in feminist language.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marcotte/the-belief-that-female-sexual-expression-is-uniquely-dehumanizing-is/) [Amanda Marcotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marcotte/) > [“Sexual expression is so powerful a way of bonding with others and so devastating a way of hurting others that it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-adler/sexual-expression-is-so-powerful-a-way-of-bonding-with-others-and-so/) Rachel Adler > [ “He \[Wilhelm Reich\] challenged the puritanical ideas about sexuality in our culture. In laywoman terms, Reich believed humans store emotions in our muscles. During… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inga-muscio/he-wilhelm-reich-challenged-the-puritanical-ideas-about-sexuality-in/) [Inga Muscio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inga-muscio/) > [I believe women should own their sexuality and sexual expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-believe-women-should-own-their-sexuality-and-sexual-expression/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [There's a disciplined erotic component to it, so that the height of sexual contact is the embrace, the modest touch, a relatively chaste kiss.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/there-s-a-disciplined-erotic-component-to-it-so-that-the-height-of/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [“Harnessing the unique sex energy that can only arise through sexual expression can awaken multidimensional awareness and provide you with your desired goal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/harnessing-the-unique-sex-energy-that-can-only-arise-through-sexual/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Sexual expression within a marriage is not an option or an extra. It is certainly not, as it has sometimes been considered, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/sexual-expression-within-a-marriage-is-not-an-option-or-an-extra-it/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“A tawdry, cartoonlike version of female sexuality has become so ubiquitous, it no longer seems particular. What we once regarded as a \*kind\* of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-levy/a-tawdry-cartoonlike-version-of-female-sexuality-has-become-so/) [Ariel Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-levy/) ## More by Hugh Hefner > [My life is an open book. With illustrations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/my-life-is-an-open-book-with-illustrations/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [The difference between Marilyn Monroe and the early Pamela Anderson is not that great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-difference-between-marilyn-monroe-and-the-early-pamela-anderson/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [If I ever try to get married again, shoot me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/if-i-ever-try-to-get-married-again-shoot-me/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [The people who had the most impact on me when I was young were Freud and Darwin, but growing up I also had my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-people-who-had-the-most-impact-on-me-when-i-was-young-were-freud/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [Part of the sexual revolution is bringing rationality to sexuality - because when you don't embrace sexuality in a normal way, you get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/part-of-the-sexual-revolution-is-bringing-rationality-to-sexuality/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [After world war all we got was a lot of conformity, and conservatism and when I was in college at the university of Illinois…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/after-world-war-all-we-got-was-a-lot-of-conformity-and-conservatism/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I was writing and cartooning and writing short stories from grade school on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-was-writing-and-cartooning-and-writing-short-stories-from-grade/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [At a very early age I started a cartoon scrapbook, actually when I was in high school. And it became, in turn, a scrapbook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/at-a-very-early-age-i-started-a-cartoon-scrapbook-actually-when-i-was/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I think age, if you are healthy, I think age is largely a number. My mother lived to be 101. So I'm planning on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-think-age-if-you-are-healthy-i-think-age-is-largely-a-number-my/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [The whole 1950s notion was find the right girl, get married, move to the suburbs and then hang out with the guys while she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-whole-1950s-notion-was-find-the-right-girl-get-married-move-to/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [You stay in touch with the boy who dreamed impossible dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/you-stay-in-touch-with-the-boy-who-dreamed-impossible-dreams/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I'm bored of the hanky-panky. I'm still active, but it's different, I like to play dominoes with my girlfriends. Having three beautiful women keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/i-m-bored-of-the-hanky-panky-i-m-still-active-but-it-s-different-i/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [The notion that Playboy exploited women, because we showed them in beautiful photographs, sexually oriented, strikes me as rather bizarre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/the-notion-that-playboy-exploited-women-because-we-showed-them-in/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [Living in the moment, thinking about the future, and staying connected to the past: That's what makes me feel whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/living-in-the-moment-thinking-about-the-future-and-staying-connected/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [I was very influenced by the musicals and romantic comedies of the 1930s. 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