--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before, I'd photograph anything. I didn't…" description: "\"Before, I'd photograph anything. I didn't think there was anything more or less obscene about any part of the body.\" — Jock Sturges" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jock-sturges-13030_body_before-i-d-photograph-anything-i-didn-t_236403.jpg" --- # Before, I'd photograph anything. I didn't think there was… ![“Before, I'd photograph anything. I didn't think there was anything more or less obscene about any part of the body.” quote by Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jock-sturges-13030_body_before-i-d-photograph-anything-i-didn-t_236403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jock-sturges-13030_body_before-i-d-photograph-anything-i-didn-t_236403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fc/jock-sturges-13030_body_before-i-d-photograph-anything-i-didn-t_236403.jpg) > “Before, I'd photograph anything. I didn't think there was anything more or less obscene about any part of the body.” [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer sees the human body as neutral, rejecting moral judgments about nudity. **In simple terms:** Body is neutral, not obscene. Key Takeaway Challenge societal taboos about nudity. Themes art nudity ethics Mood reflective provocative Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery shows - educational workshops - public debates - media criticism - null Key Concepts humanism visual culture Questions to Reflect On - How does context change perception of nudity? - What responsibilities do artists have? A Different Perspective Obscenity laws and cultural norms may still restrict expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Parts of the body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parts-of-the-body/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't think there was anything more or less obscene about any part of the body. Now, I recognize that there are certain postures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-didn-t-think-there-was-anything-more-or-less-obscene-about-any-part/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I think it's obscene. I don't know how you support the monarchy. How can you do that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-klein/i-think-it-s-obscene-i-don-t-know-how-you-support-the-monarchy-how/) [William Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-klein/) > [I think it is obscene that we should believe that we are entitled to end somebody's life, no matter what that person has supposedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attenborough/i-think-it-is-obscene-that-we-should-believe-that-we-are-entitled-to/) [Richard Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attenborough/) > [I did photograph Angelina Jolie up in Vancouver when she was making 'Life Or Something Like It', and they gave me the drawings they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kirkland/i-did-photograph-angelina-jolie-up-in-vancouver-when-she-was-making/) [Douglas Kirkland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kirkland/) > [I don't photograph any two people who are remotely the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-don-t-photograph-any-two-people-who-are-remotely-the-same/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I know the families that I photograph extremely well and have known them for a very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-know-the-families-that-i-photograph-extremely-well-and-have-known/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [All human beings are limbs of the same body. God created them from the same essence. If one part of the body suffers pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/all-human-beings-are-limbs-of-the-same-body-god-created-them-from-the/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [Disease is nothing else but an attempt on the part of the body to rid itself of morbific matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sydenham/disease-is-nothing-else-but-an-attempt-on-the-part-of-the-body-to-rid/) [Thomas Sydenham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sydenham/) > [The sexual regions constitute a particularly vulnerable spot, and remain so even in man, and the need for their protection which thus exists conflicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-sexual-regions-constitute-a-particularly-vulnerable-spot-and/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [I learned...every part of the body; I would move each part as I memorized it. As a child, I would lie in the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-pilates/i-learned-every-part-of-the-body-i-would-move-each-part-as-i/) [Joseph Pilates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-pilates/) > [Temperament is fixed, set. The skull, followed by the temperament: the two hardest parts of the body. Follow your temperament. It is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/temperament-is-fixed-set-the-skull-followed-by-the-temperament-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Aging nations have arteries clogged with obsolete laws, slowing blood flow and preventing oxygen from reaching all parts of the body politic. Physicians call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/aging-nations-have-arteries-clogged-with-obsolete-laws-slowing-blood/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [There was such a relationship between the buffalo and the American Indian - the Indians would eat them, live inside their pelts, use every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/there-was-such-a-relationship-between-the-buffalo-and-the-american/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [You don't understand. I only prostitute the part of the body that isn't important, and nobody suffers except my karma a little bit. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/you-don-t-understand-i-only-prostitute-the-part-of-the-body-that-isn/) [John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/) > [If you do not use a muscle or any part of the body, it tends to become atrophic. So is the case with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/if-you-do-not-use-a-muscle-or-any-part-of-the-body-it-tends-to-become/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) ## More by Jock Sturges > [I don't photograph any two people who are remotely the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-don-t-photograph-any-two-people-who-are-remotely-the-same/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [No two people take on the information of being admirable and being admired in the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/no-two-people-take-on-the-information-of-being-admirable-and-being/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [Some of the people that I photographed as sticks became much more voluptuous, much rounder, in some cases dramatically so, and I think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/some-of-the-people-that-i-photographed-as-sticks-became-much-more/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I'm the last person who has any desire to instruct anybody in shame. That's no errand for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-m-the-last-person-who-has-any-desire-to-instruct-anybody-in-shame/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I know the families that I photograph extremely well and have known them for a very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-know-the-families-that-i-photograph-extremely-well-and-have-known/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [The images I like best are parts of series that I've started, in some cases, with the pregnancies of the mothers of the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/the-images-i-like-best-are-parts-of-series-that-i-ve-started-in-some/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I found myself serving a sentence of public denial from the very second the raid on my apartment happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-found-myself-serving-a-sentence-of-public-denial-from-the-very/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [I'm guilty of extraordinary naivete, I suppose. But it's a naivete that I really don't want to abandon, not even now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/i-m-guilty-of-extraordinary-naivete-i-suppose-but-it-s-a-naivete-that/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [We live in an age where anonymity is growing in magnitude like a bomb going off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/we-live-in-an-age-where-anonymity-is-growing-in-magnitude-like-a-bomb/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [They were without clothes before I got there, and they were without clothes when I left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/they-were-without-clothes-before-i-got-there-and-they-were-without/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [There are photographs that I don't take now that I previously would have taken without any thought at all as to any misinterpretations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/there-are-photographs-that-i-don-t-take-now-that-i-previously-would/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [Different members of different cultures will think that some things are beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/different-members-of-different-cultures-will-think-that-some-things/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [If somebody's pointing a trembling finger at your pants and saying you shouldn't be doing that, follow that finger back, go up the arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/if-somebody-s-pointing-a-trembling-finger-at-your-pants-and-saying/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [Now, I recognize that there are certain postures and angles that make people see red, which are evidence of original sin or something, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/now-i-recognize-that-there-are-certain-postures-and-angles-that-make/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) > [A virulent, aggressive minority has decided that Americans don't know themselves what it is they should see, and need to be protected by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-sturges/a-virulent-aggressive-minority-has-decided-that-americans-don-t-know/) [Jock Sturges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) [Explore all 52 Jock Sturges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-sturges/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before, I'd photograph anything. 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