--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To struggle against censorship, whatever…" description: "\"To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and whatever the power under which it exists, is my duty as a writer, as are calls for freedom of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg" --- # To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and… ![“To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and whatever the power under which it exists, is my duty as a writer, as are calls for freedom of the press. I am a passionate supporter of that freedom, and I consider that if any writer were to imagine that he could prove he didn't need that…” quote by Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg) > “To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and whatever the power under which it exists, is my duty as a writer, as are calls for freedom of the press. I am a passionate supporter of that freedom, and I consider that if any writer were to imagine that he could prove he didn't need that freedom, then he would be like a fish affirming in public that it didn't need water.” [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must defend press freedom, as essential as water to a fish, regardless of censorship form or authority. **In simple terms:** Writers must protect press freedom. Key Takeaway Defend freedom of the press. Themes freedom of responsibility censorship Mood determined defiant Type political inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - political activism - literary work Key Concepts human rights civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance artistic expression with political risk? - What personal costs arise from defending free press? A Different Perspective Censorship can be subtle and internal, not just external. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affirming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirming/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Censorship Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship-nature-2195896/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-consider-770312/) [Freedom of the press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-the-press/) [Freedom Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-press/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-that/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-censorship-2195897/) [Supporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supporter/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Literature is one of the few areas left where black and white feel some identity of purpose; we all struggle under censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/literature-is-one-of-the-few-areas-left-where-black-and-white-feel/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [We have more freedom of the press than any other country in a similar position. Even way back in the frightened '50s, Communists, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/we-have-more-freedom-of-the-press-than-any-other-country-in-a-similar/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [But now, I, August Comte, have discovered the truth. Therefore, there is no longer any need for freedom of thought or freedom of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/but-now-i-august-comte-have-discovered-the-truth-therefore-there-is/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [Those who write the editorials and those who write the columns, they simply are unaccountable. They're free to impose their cultural politics in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/those-who-write-the-editorials-and-those-who-write-the-columns-they/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Freedom of the press is not questioned when investigative journalism unearths scandals, But that does not mean that every classified state document should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-schily/freedom-of-the-press-is-not-questioned-when-investigative-journalism/) [Otto Schily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-schily/) > [When freedom of the press is threatened, the United States should be leading efforts to protect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/when-freedom-of-the-press-is-threatened-the-united-states-should-be/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [I recognize the need to provide the press - and, through you, the American people - with information to the fullest extent possible. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-recognize-the-need-to-provide-the-press-and-through-you-the/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [“Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling-2/freedom-of-the-press-is-limited-to-those-who-own-one/) [A.J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling-2/) > [Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/our-liberty-depends-on-the-freedom-of-the-press-and-that-cannot-be/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I get a little nauseated, perhaps, when I hear the phrase 'freedom of the press' used as freely as it is, knowing that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-wilson/i-get-a-little-nauseated-perhaps-when-i-hear-the-phrase-freedom-of/) [Harold Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-wilson/) > [“This country prides itself on freedom of the press and went to war with England because you wanted religious freedom”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-wilder/this-country-prides-itself-on-freedom-of-the-press-and-went-to-war/) [Lin Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-wilder/) > [Without freedom of the press, there can be no representative government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-maurice-de-talleyrand/without-freedom-of-the-press-there-can-be-no-representative-government/) [Charles Maurice de Talleyrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-maurice-de-talleyrand/) > [The freedom of the press is a valuable privilege; but the abuse of it, in this country, is a frightful evil. The licentiousness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-webster/the-freedom-of-the-press-is-a-valuable-privilege-but-the-abuse-of-it/) [Noah Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-webster/) > [Freedom of press and freedom of speech: What a blessing for a country while in the hands of honest, patriotic men; what a curse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/freedom-of-press-and-freedom-of-speech-what-a-blessing-for-a-country/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) ## More by Mikhail Bulgakov > [“The Procurator did not squint because the sun dazzled him. No! For some reason, he did not want to see the group of condemned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/the-procurator-did-not-squint-because-the-sun-dazzled-him-no-for-some/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“…i głośno, radośnie oznajmił: - Utną panu głowę!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/i-g-o-no-rado-nie-oznajmi-utn-panu-g-ow/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [If it is true that cowardice is the most grave vice, then the dog, at least, is not guilty of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/if-it-is-true-that-cowardice-is-the-most-grave-vice-then-the-dog-at/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“-No, to rzeczywiście nie są pieniądze – lekceważąco powiedział do swego gościa Woland – chociaż szczerze mówiąc, nawet tyle nie jest panu potrzebne. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/no-to-rzeczywi-cie-nie-s-pieni-dze-lekcewa-co-powiedzia-do-swego-go/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [The tongue can conceal the truth, but the eyes never! You're asked an unexpected question, you don't even flinch, it takes just a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/the-tongue-can-conceal-the-truth-but-the-eyes-never-you-re-asked-an/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [This twenty-year-old boy was distinguished from childhood by strange qualities, a dreamer and an eccentric. A girl fell in love with him, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/this-twenty-year-old-boy-was-distinguished-from-childhood-by-strange/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“You should never ask anyone for anything. Never—and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself. They will make the offer and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/you-should-never-ask-anyone-for-anything-never-and-especially-from/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [Cowardice is the greatest sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/cowardice-is-the-greatest-sin/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“Too bad!' the feisty poet responded. 'Yes, too bad!' the stranger agreed, his eye flashing, and went on: 'But here is a question that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/too-bad-the-feisty-poet-responded-yes-too-bad-the-stranger-agreed-his/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“Don't be afraid, your majesty... Don't be afraid, your majesty, the blood has long since drained away into the earth and grapes have grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/don-t-be-afraid-your-majesty-don-t-be-afraid-your-majesty-the-blood/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“But this is what disturbs me: if there is no God, then, the question is, who is in control of man's life and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/but-this-is-what-disturbs-me-if-there-is-no-god-then-the-question-is/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“If you’ve been exiled, why don’t you send me word of yourself? People do send word. Have you stopped loving me? No, for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/if-you-ve-been-exiled-why-don-t-you-send-me-word-of-yourself-people/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“Tu nieznajomy uprzejmie zdjął beret i pisarzom nie pozostawało nic innego, jak wstać i ukłonić się.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/tu-nieznajomy-uprzejmie-zdj-beret-i-pisarzom-nie-pozostawa-o-nic/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“Thou art a black God! I curse Thee, God of thieves, their soul and protector! (191)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/thou-art-a-black-god-i-curse-thee-god-of-thieves-their-soul-and/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [“-No, więc ja wysłałem depeszę. I co dalej? Popławskiemu zawirowało w głowie, stracił władzę w rękach i nogach, wypuścił z ręki walizkę i opadł…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/no-wi-c-ja-wys-a-em-depesz-i-co-dalej-pop-awskiemu-zawirowa-o-w-g/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) [Explore all 186 Mikhail Bulgakov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) ## More Affirming quotes > [I don't think that writing, real writing, has much to do with affirming belief--if anything it causes rifts and gaps in belief which make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-evenson/i-don-t-think-that-writing-real-writing-has-much-to-do-with-affirming/) [Brian Evenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-evenson/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Where a generation ago people felt entitled to a chance at education, they now feel entitled to the credential affirming that they have completed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-henry-iii/where-a-generation-ago-people-felt-entitled-to-a-chance-at-education/) [William A. Henry III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-henry-iii/) > [To create something beautiful about despair or out of a feeling of despair is for me the most hopeful life affirming thing a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kane/to-create-something-beautiful-about-despair-or-out-of-a-feeling-of/) [Sarah Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kane/) > [“By affirming that all 'meaning,' every assertion about the significance of life and reality, must be judged by reference to a brief succession of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/by-affirming-that-all-meaning-every-assertion-about-the-significance/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [It feels intimate and life affirming to me when someone tweets things that appear to just be insane thoughts they had and typed out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-gonzalez/it-feels-intimate-and-life-affirming-to-me-when-someone-tweets-things/) [Mira Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-gonzalez/) > [ \[F\]or academic men to be happy, the universe would have to take shape. All of philosophy has no other goal: it is a matter… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/f-or-academic-men-to-be-happy-the-universe-would-have-to-take-shape/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [It is so inspiring to see a new group coming together not to focus on a particular war or weapons system, but on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/it-is-so-inspiring-to-see-a-new-group-coming-together-not-to-focus-on/) [Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/) > [I think we're in a new era where the advancing tide is towards human unity, where people all around the world want to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/i-think-we-re-in-a-new-era-where-the-advancing-tide-is-towards-human/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Despite two decisions, in 2008 and 2010, by the U.S. Supreme Court unequivocally affirming that the Second Amendment to the Constitution guarantees an individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/despite-two-decisions-in-2008-and-2010-by-the-u-s-supreme-court/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [To be honest, I am not theatre-trained and though I am confident in my skill set, to do theatre requires a better-tuned set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/to-be-honest-i-am-not-theatre-trained-and-though-i-am-confident-in-my/) [Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/) > [The fact that you have a policy of such consequence directly affecting millions of people and you have a legal question of great consequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-verrilli-jr/the-fact-that-you-have-a-policy-of-such-consequence-directly/) [Donald Verrilli Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-verrilli-jr/) > [Action eradicates fear. No matter what you fear,--- positive, self-affirming action can diminish or completely cancel that which you are fearful of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-victor-hansen/action-eradicates-fear-no-matter-what-you-fear-positive-self/) [Mark Victor Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-victor-hansen/) > [Coming out to gays is a way of affirming sanity and self-worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weinberg/coming-out-to-gays-is-a-way-of-affirming-sanity-and-self-worth/) [George Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weinberg/) > [“we are affirming our trust that creation means well within us all, and that whatever painful growth and change may lie ahead, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-silf/we-are-affirming-our-trust-that-creation-means-well-within-us-all-and/) [Margaret Silf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-silf/) [Browse all 167 Affirming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affirming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and whatever the power under which it exists, is my duty as a writer, as are calls for freedom of the press. I am a passionate supporter of that freedom, and I consider that if any writer were to imagine that he could prove he didn't need that freedom, then he would be like a fish affirming in public that it didn't need water.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mikhail Bulgakov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever-its-nature-and-whatever-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affirming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever-its-nature-and-whatever-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_affirming_to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever_2631886.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To struggle against censorship, whatever its nature, and whatever the power under which it exists, is my…” — Mikhail Bulgakov", "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": "Mikhail Bulgakov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To struggle against censorship, whatever its...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever-its-nature-and-whatever-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/to-struggle-against-censorship-whatever-its-nature-and-whatever-the/#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 } } ] } ```