--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The interest in encouraging freedom of…" description: "\"The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.\" — John Paul St..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/john-paul-stevens-12128_benefits_the-interest-in-encouraging-freedom-of-e_1407288.jpg" --- # The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a… ![“The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.” quote by John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/john-paul-stevens-12128_benefits_the-interest-in-encouraging-freedom-of-e_1407288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/john-paul-stevens-12128_benefits_the-interest-in-encouraging-freedom-of-e_1407288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffd/john-paul-stevens-12128_benefits_the-interest-in-encouraging-freedom-of-e_1407288.jpg) > “The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship.” [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Freedom of expression is essential for democracy, outweighing unproven censorship benefits. **In simple terms:** Free speech is vital. Key Takeaway Protect expression. Themes democracy free speech censorship Mood thoughtful balanced Type legal philosophical When to use this quote - media publishing - online platforms - public debate Key Concepts constitutional law civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - When should speech be limited? - How to ensure censorship does not become abuse? A Different Perspective Balancing speech with harmful content is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benefit Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefit-censorship-2668800/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-society/) [Encouraging Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouraging-freedom-4072662/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-expression-232366/) [Freedom of expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-expression/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Society Outweighs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-outweighs-4949890/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Theoretical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical/) ## Related quotes > [As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/as-a-matter-of-constitutional-tradition-in-the-absence-of-evidence-to/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [The church, by and large, has had a poor record of encouraging freedom. She has spent so much time inculcating in us the fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-farrar-capon/the-church-by-and-large-has-had-a-poor-record-of-encouraging-freedom/) [Robert Farrar Capon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-farrar-capon/) > [A man of strength and wisdom, John Paul became an inspiration to generations of both Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world by encouraging freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-walden/a-man-of-strength-and-wisdom-john-paul-became-an-inspiration-to/) [Greg Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-walden/) > [Every religion has its dignity ... in freedom of expression there are limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/every-religion-has-its-dignity-in-freedom-of-expression-there-are/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I believe in the freedom of expression, unequivocally - though, as I have written before, I wish more people would understand that freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-believe-in-the-freedom-of-expression-unequivocally-though-as-i-have/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [People who think of children's nudity as a tool don't need freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-chan/people-who-think-of-children-s-nudity-as-a-tool-don-t-need-freedom-of/) [Agnes Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-chan/) > [Akbar Ganji is a human rights activist in Iran and he works on freedom of expression and he does his job very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/akbar-ganji-is-a-human-rights-activist-in-iran-and-he-works-on/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [“There were counter-protests, of course, and in the end Mapplethorpe’s work was exhibited, but the message to the arts community was clear: stray too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/there-were-counter-protests-of-course-and-in-the-end-mapplethorpe-s/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [All over the world, there is someone sitting in a cell because he or she is not allowed freedom of expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/all-over-the-world-there-is-someone-sitting-in-a-cell-because-he-or/) [John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/) > [We thought the church had withdrawn from interfering in Italian politics... but instead there is a terrible resurgence. These are ugly signs for freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-fo/we-thought-the-church-had-withdrawn-from-interfering-in-italian/) [Dario Fo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-fo/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. 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Heller, which recognized an individual right to possess a firearm under the Constitution, is unquestionably the most clearly incorrect decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/district-of-columbia-v-heller-which-recognized-an-individual-right-to/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [After all, a district judge who gives harsh sentences to Yankees fans and lenient sentences to Red Sox fans would not be acting reasonably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/after-all-a-district-judge-who-gives-harsh-sentences-to-yankees-fans/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [All I can say is I did the best I could, and I didn't do well enough on many occasions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/all-i-can-say-is-i-did-the-best-i-could-and-i-didn-t-do-well-enough/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [It almost seems I was writing two separate books, the first one about the time before I went on the court and the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/it-almost-seems-i-was-writing-two-separate-books-the-first-one-about/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [One thing, however, is certain. 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