--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a writer, I think the greatest danger…" description: "\"As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.\" — Katie Kitamura" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg" --- # As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be… ![“As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.” quote by Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg) > “As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.” [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers risk limiting their voice when they edit themselves too harshly, stifling authenticity. **In simple terms:** Self-censorship harms creativity. Key Takeaway Write freely, edit later. Themes creativity authenticity self-expression Mood thoughtful inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing process - creative workshops - personal journals Key Concepts censorship artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when to edit? - What boundaries protect your voice? A Different Perspective Too much freedom can produce unpolished work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Danger Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger-self-2435938/) [Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest/) [Greatest danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-danger/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Self censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-censorship/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you're afraid to the point where you censor yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-think-the-enemy-is-self-censorship-in-a-free-society-the-biggest/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [Linde's Danger to Self is a warm, candid and appealing account of being an emergency room psychiatrist. Linde captures the non-conformist, hard-boiled style of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-luhrmann/linde-s-danger-to-self-is-a-warm-candid-and-appealing-account-of/) [Tanya Luhrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-luhrmann/) > [There's always some extent of luck going into getting a job. I try not to think too much about my own looks or how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-skarsgard/there-s-always-some-extent-of-luck-going-into-getting-a-job-i-try-not/) [Bill Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-skarsgard/) > [“In this age of censorship I mourn the loss of books that will never be written, I mourn the voices that will be silenced--writers'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/in-this-age-of-censorship-i-mourn-the-loss-of-books-that-will-never/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [A dreary censorship, and self-censorship, has been imposed on books by the centralization of the book industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/a-dreary-censorship-and-self-censorship-has-been-imposed-on-books-by/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [You should not be subjected to the pressures, the intimidation, whether by Government or by the private sector, which would force you into self-censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/you-should-not-be-subjected-to-the-pressures-the-intimidation-whether/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [The worst evil is - and that's the product of censorship - is the self-censorship, because that twists spines, that destroys my character because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/the-worst-evil-is-and-that-s-the-product-of-censorship-is-the-self/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Self-censorship, the most important and most successful form of censorship, is rampant. Debate is identified with dissent, which is in turn identified with disloyalty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/self-censorship-the-most-important-and-most-successful-form-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“What are the consequences when the government, the media, and the leaders of commerce all speak with one voice? Why, it means that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/what-are-the-consequences-when-the-government-the-media-and-the/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Self-censorship as a result of intimidation or social pressures, sometimes referred to as "political correctness", constitutes a serious obstacle to the proper functioning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/self-censorship-as-a-result-of-intimidation-or-social-pressures/) [Alfred-Maurice de Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-maurice-de-zayas/) > [Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/self-censorship-is-insulting-to-the-self-timidity-is-a-hopeless-way/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [SeLF censorsHIP? Not my strong suit...I dont want to be a total d o u c h e b a g , but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/self-censorship-not-my-strong-suit-i-dont-want-to-be-a-total-d-o-u-c/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) > [Self-censorship happens not only in China, or Iran or ex-Soviet places. It can happen anywhere. If an artist penetrates a certain taboo or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/self-censorship-happens-not-only-in-china-or-iran-or-ex-soviet-places/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [Society develops a type of self-censorship, with the knowledge that surveillance exists - a self-censorship that is even expressed when people communicate with each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/society-develops-a-type-of-self-censorship-with-the-knowledge-that/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Self-censorship is a lie to yourself; if you are going to be trying to seriously create art, to create literary art, and you decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/self-censorship-is-a-lie-to-yourself-if-you-are-going-to-be-trying-to/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Katie Kitamura > [Translated literature can be fascinating. There's something so intriguing about reading the text second hand - a piece of prose that has already been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/translated-literature-can-be-fascinating-there-s-something-so/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [The point about sales is relevant because it suggests there are cultures out there that are supporting and consuming, on a vast scale, challenging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/the-point-about-sales-is-relevant-because-it-suggests-there-are/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [It took me a long time to accept that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-accept-that-i-was-a-writer/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“life rarely finds its exact likeness in a novel, that is hardly fiction’s purpose,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/life-rarely-finds-its-exact-likeness-in-a-novel-that-is-hardly/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [There's a long relationship between science fiction and the 'novel of ideas,' and I think writers of science fiction are able to draw on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/there-s-a-long-relationship-between-science-fiction-and-the-novel-of/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I write some art criticism, and one thing that's clear to me is that politics is fashionable in the American art world in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-write-some-art-criticism-and-one-thing-that-s-clear-to-me-is-that/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I'm often a little perplexed, when I read a review of a book, by the quotes that are pulled out as evidence of excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-m-often-a-little-perplexed-when-i-read-a-review-of-a-book-by-the/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't speak any languages well enough to make an expert assessment on writing in translation, but since I'm interested in awkwardness in prose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-speak-any-languages-well-enough-to-make-an-expert-assessment/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I think it's poignant and powerful, this idea that if someone knows your name, they have the ability to kind of hail you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-think-it-s-poignant-and-powerful-this-idea-that-if-someone-knows/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“A place has a curious quality when you have only a partial understanding of its language, and in those early months the sensation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/a-place-has-a-curious-quality-when-you-have-only-a-partial/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“People were capable of living their lives in a state of permanent disappointment, there were plenty of people who did not marry the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/people-were-capable-of-living-their-lives-in-a-state-of-permanent/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I was introduced to fighting by my brother - he's a tattooer, a tough guy - and I completely fell in love with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-was-introduced-to-fighting-by-my-brother-he-s-a-tattooer-a-tough/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't know why I write. The honest answer is that I don't have an answer. I wouldn't die if I couldn't write fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-know-why-i-write-the-honest-answer-is-that-i-don-t-have-an/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“It was a terrible thing, to love and not know whether you were loved in return, it led to the worst sensations--jealousy, rage, self-loathing--to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-love-and-not-know-whether-you-were-loved/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [The first fight I saw live, the fighter I was shadowing lost in front of a crowd of forty thousand people. The scale of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/the-first-fight-i-saw-live-the-fighter-i-was-shadowing-lost-in-front/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) [Explore all 51 Katie Kitamura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## More Censorship quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I don't believe in censorship in any form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-in-any-form/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“I agree that it's a shame some books have to suffer ratings that clearly are invalid. However I can't think of a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/i-agree-that-it-s-a-shame-some-books-have-to-suffer-ratings-that/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [The only thing that is obscene is censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-that-is-obscene-is-censorship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a feature film, the question of censorship always comes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/in-a-feature-film-the-question-of-censorship-always-comes-up/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) [Browse all 884 Censorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katie Kitamura" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censorship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/be0/katie-kitamura-13105_censorship_as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger_243444.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.” — Katie Kitamura", "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": "Katie Kitamura", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a writer, I think the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/#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 } } ] } ```