---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Censorship should never go. But we can…"
description: "\"Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.\" — Mani Ratnam"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg"
---

#  Censorship should never go. But we can always give a…

![“Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.” quote by Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg)

> “Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.”

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Censorship should be limited, yet directors deserve creative freedom and flexibility.

**In simple terms:** Limit censorship but allow directors more space.

Key Takeaway

Support artistic freedom while setting boundaries.

Themes

censorship creativity freedom

Mood

analytical balanced

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- film production
- publishing
- broadcasting

Key Concepts

media ethics artistic expression

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we protect audiences without stifling art?
- What standards should guide creative liberties?

A Different Perspective

Balancing regulation and creativity is complex and context‑dependent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Director](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/director/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/)

## Related quotes

> [“We'll not only survive, we'll thrive, be positively alive with a little more space between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-leland-taylorre/we-ll-not-only-survive-we-ll-thrive-be-positively-alive-with-a-little/)

Robert Leland Taylorre

> [“am aware of how little space there is between us—six inches at most. That space feels charged with electricity. I feel like it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/am-aware-of-how-little-space-there-is-between-us-six-inches-at-most/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Yes, he wanted me to do Funny Games before, which I didn't want to do because the film was very theoretical - the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-huppert/yes-he-wanted-me-to-do-funny-games-before-which-i-didn-t-want-to-do/)

[Isabelle Huppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-huppert/)

> [I have little space from the suffering of elephants right now. I wake up with it and go to sleep with it. The plight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-bauer-van-straten/i-have-little-space-from-the-suffering-of-elephants-right-now-i-wake/)

[Kristin Bauer van Straten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-bauer-van-straten/)

> [Everybody I meet is a star. In Bombay it is crazy and even TV has become so big that there are just too many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/everybody-i-meet-is-a-star-in-bombay-it-is-crazy-and-even-tv-has/)

[Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/)

> [What I feel is great acting might be rubbish for another filmmaker. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/what-i-feel-is-great-acting-might-be-rubbish-for-another-filmmaker/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent on it's vulnerable reserves of air and soil, all committed, for our safety, to it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/we-travel-together-passengers-on-a-little-spaceship-dependent-on-it-s/)

[Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/)

> [“One man after burying another has been laid out dead, and another buries him; and all this in a short time. To conclude, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/one-man-after-burying-another-has-been-laid-out-dead-and-another/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [“7 Ways to Improve Eye Contact at any Time 1. Relax into the moment by smiling. 2. Practice making eye contact with people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/7-ways-to-improve-eye-contact-at-any-time-1-relax-into-the-moment-by/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [“When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/when-i-consider-the-short-duration-of-my-life-swallowed-up-in-the/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“Until one morning, one of the coldest mornings of the year, when I came in with the book cart and found Jean Hollis Clark,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-myron/until-one-morning-one-of-the-coldest-mornings-of-the-year-when-i-came/)

[Vicki Myron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-myron/)

> [“Connor; "Push me and you might just find yourself locked in the trunk of a car and on a ferry headed off to Nova…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-mathewson/connor-push-me-and-you-might-just-find-yourself-locked-in-the-trunk/)

[R.L. Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-mathewson/)

> [Our little Spaceship Earth is only eight thousand miles in diameter, which is almost a negligible dimension in the great vastness of space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/our-little-spaceship-earth-is-only-eight-thousand-miles-in-diameter/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [I knew Charlie Parker, and he gave us such a gift with his music. He put so much into so little space, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/i-knew-charlie-parker-and-he-gave-us-such-a-gift-with-his-music-he/)

[Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/)

> [And we are put on this earth a little space that we might learn to bear the beams of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/and-we-are-put-on-this-earth-a-little-space-that-we-might-learn-to/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

## More by Mani Ratnam

> [I don't believe in giving advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-don-t-believe-in-giving-advice/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [I like songs. It's a weakness that I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-like-songs-it-s-a-weakness-that-i-have/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [As a filmmaker, every tool you get to tell the scene better is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/as-a-filmmaker-every-tool-you-get-to-tell-the-scene-better-is/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [When Kamal Haasan did 'Nayakan,' he had done a few roles that had him aged and demanded a lot of commitment from. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/when-kamal-haasan-did-nayakan-he-had-done-a-few-roles-that-had-him/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [I want to make a film that can reach as many as possible so I want to talk in a language which I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-want-to-make-a-film-that-can-reach-as-many-as-possible-so-i-want-to/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [Format is just the language. Content is the only thing that is important. Form is like handwriting. Whether you write in a scribble or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/format-is-just-the-language-content-is-the-only-thing-that-is/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [What I feel is great acting might be rubbish for another filmmaker. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/what-i-feel-is-great-acting-might-be-rubbish-for-another-filmmaker/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [Writing is nagging, fascinating, troublesome and exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/writing-is-nagging-fascinating-troublesome-and-exciting/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [Film fests are an opportunity to see different kinds of films that you usually don't get to watch. When I'm part of a jury,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/film-fests-are-an-opportunity-to-see-different-kinds-of-films-that/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [Language, I think, has nothing to do with film-making. It is how you make your point and whether you exploit the visual medium maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/language-i-think-has-nothing-to-do-with-film-making-it-is-how-you/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [I grew up on the commercial film format. I have grown up all my life watching films and they have all been mainstream commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/i-grew-up-on-the-commercial-film-format-i-have-grown-up-all-my-life/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [For a filmmaker, whether the film is liked, understood or appreciated counts as much as the moolah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/for-a-filmmaker-whether-the-film-is-liked-understood-or-appreciated/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [The thing is that when you make a film, it is such an intense experience. It's like being married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/the-thing-is-that-when-you-make-a-film-it-is-such-an-intense/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [Indian cinema will continue to grow, I am very sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/indian-cinema-will-continue-to-grow-i-am-very-sure/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

> [My job as a director is to communicate, and I want to communicate to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/my-job-as-a-director-is-to-communicate-and-i-want-to-communicate-to/)

[Mani Ratnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

[Explore all 99 Mani Ratnam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/)

## 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

> [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": "Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mani Ratnam"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-always-give-a-little-more-space/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Censorship"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-always-give-a-little-more-space/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/012/mani-ratnam-6434_censorship_censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-al_1944735.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Censorship should never go. But we can always give a little more space to the director.” — Mani Ratnam",
                "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": "Mani Ratnam",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-ratnam/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Censorship should never go. But we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-always-give-a-little-more-space/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-ratnam/censorship-should-never-go-but-we-can-always-give-a-little-more-space/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
