--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know, 20 years... the films of…" description: "\"You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png" --- # You know, 20 years... the films of television when it… ![“You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.” quote by Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png) > “You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.” [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early media in communist regimes were heavily censored, resulting in content free of violence, sex, or drugs. **In simple terms:** Censored media lacked mature themes. Key Takeaway Recognize how censorship shapes cultural output. Themes censorship media culture politics history Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type analytical historical educational When to use this quote - media analysis - historical study - comparative media research - policy discussion - educational curriculum Key Concepts authoritarian control information suppression Questions to Reflect On - How does censorship affect societal values? - What are the long‑term impacts of sanitized media? A Different Perspective Censorship can also stifle artistic expression and critical discourse. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [You said, 'Planning is something for communist countries; democracy and planning don't go together!' But, with all the errors we committed, our plans succeeded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/you-said-planning-is-something-for-communist-countries-democracy-and/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I've lived a lot in communist countries and they're intensely interested in money. I think they are more interested in money than capitalists are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-lived-a-lot-in-communist-countries-and-they-re-intensely/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [When I entered the film school at the Prague Academy in the '50s, it was the hardest time in the Communist countries. The ideological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/when-i-entered-the-film-school-at-the-prague-academy-in-the-50s-it/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I guess after my television show started airing, and I would be walking around the mall or just out with friends, and girls would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-roberts/i-guess-after-my-television-show-started-airing-and-i-would-be/) [Emma Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-roberts/) > [I'd always wanted to work in television once I found out that they started to hire independent filmmakers to direct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-shelton/i-d-always-wanted-to-work-in-television-once-i-found-out-that-they/) [Lynn Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-shelton/) > [I started in theatre, moved into film and television, and started doing voice work, which is funny because after a long time in film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/i-started-in-theatre-moved-into-film-and-television-and-started-doing/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [I'd never seen any television before I started.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-kneale/i-d-never-seen-any-television-before-i-started/) [Nigel Kneale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-kneale/) > [Did I ever think about TV stardom? I don't watch a lot of TV. I wasn't even aware of the phenomenon of what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-fieri/did-i-ever-think-about-tv-stardom-i-don-t-watch-a-lot-of-tv-i-wasn-t/) [Guy Fieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-fieri/) > [I knew I wanted to be an actor when I was very young. I guess I was about 6 years old at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-when-i-was-very-young-i-guess-i-was/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Has the pope questioned the faith of any communist leaders? He spends a lot of time in communist countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/has-the-pope-questioned-the-faith-of-any-communist-leaders-he-spends/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“The reason why people in communist countries have less "stuff," is that these economic systems to not work very well, not because their inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hilmersen/the-reason-why-people-in-communist-countries-have-less-stuff-is-that/) Thomas Hilmersen > [You know the critical thing with the Communist countries is Communism, which by definition consists of control by the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/you-know-the-critical-thing-with-the-communist-countries-is-communism/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Salvation by society failed the most where it promised the most, in the communist countries. But it also failed in the West. Practically no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/salvation-by-society-failed-the-most-where-it-promised-the-most-in/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“European who served for many years as a diplomat in Pyongyang, with postings there off and on from the 1970s into the 1990s, likened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-k-martin/european-who-served-for-many-years-as-a-diplomat-in-pyongyang-with/) Bradley K. Martin > [After visits to several Communist countries (USSR, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, East Germany, Vietnam, China, Cuba), I feel strongly that most "revolutionary" types around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/after-visits-to-several-communist-countries-ussr-poland/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) ## More by Milos Forman > [When I came for the first time to the United States, visiting, I was absolutely fascinated by New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/when-i-came-for-the-first-time-to-the-united-states-visiting-i-was/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I am absolutely against any violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-am-absolutely-against-any-violence/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [You think you can do anything, and then you slowly learn how wrong you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-think-you-can-do-anything-and-then-you-slowly-learn-how-wrong-you/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [You know what happened, you know, in 1938: France, England, you know, just sold out Czechoslovakia to Hitler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-what-happened-you-know-in-1938-france-england-you-know-just/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [First of all, to defend my work, I had to believe that I am doing a totally silly, stupid, innocent comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/first-of-all-to-defend-my-work-i-had-to-believe-that-i-am-doing-a/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [For me, speaking is work. It's not like when you breathe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/for-me-speaking-is-work-it-s-not-like-when-you-breathe/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [So, thanks God, our films, our first films were suddenly being appreciated by the Western media; especially France was very good, and Switzerland was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/so-thanks-god-our-films-our-first-films-were-suddenly-being/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I get out of the taxi and it's probably the only city which in reality looks better than on the postcards, New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-get-out-of-the-taxi-and-it-s-probably-the-only-city-which-in/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [I lived long enough in a society where freedom of speech was nonexistent, and I know what kind of misery that creates - starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-lived-long-enough-in-a-society-where-freedom-of-speech-was/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Milan Kundera was my literature professor. He's a Francophile, so he made us read French novels like 'Les Liaisons Dangereuses,' which I made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/milan-kundera-was-my-literature-professor-he-s-a-francophile-so-he/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Holocaust films will be made and should be made as long as we can't understand what makes people so cruel to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/holocaust-films-will-be-made-and-should-be-made-as-long-as-we-can-t/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [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/) > [Technically, you can learn everything on the set as an assistant director, and rather quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/technically-you-can-learn-everything-on-the-set-as-an-assistant/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [And also they were absolutely brilliant in one way, you know: they knew how effective is not to punish somebody who is guilty; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/and-also-they-were-absolutely-brilliant-in-one-way-you-know-they-knew/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [We have funny ideas about how people in mental institutions act. We think of drooling and people going booga-booga and climbing the wall. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/we-have-funny-ideas-about-how-people-in-mental-institutions-act-we/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) [Explore all 58 Milos Forman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) ## More Clean quotes > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [ I walked all around it \[the Guggenheim Bilbao\] and couldn't find one clear, clean shot. To make things worse, the weather was lousy. Nothing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-polidori/i-walked-all-around-it-the-guggenheim-bilbao-and-couldn-t-find-one/) [Robert Polidori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-polidori/) > [There's nothing harder than making a mellow, clean record. It's really scary. I can see why people would never want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-segall/there-s-nothing-harder-than-making-a-mellow-clean-record-it-s-really/) [Ty Segall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-segall/) > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [The sugar maple is remarkable for its clean ankle. The groves of these trees looked like vast forest sheds, their branches stoppingshort at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-sugar-maple-is-remarkable-for-its-clean-ankle-the-groves-of-these/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [America should be leading the world in green and clean solutions, and human rights. We shouldn't be leading the world in wars and incarceration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/america-should-be-leading-the-world-in-green-and-clean-solutions-and/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [At 62, I remain clean and sober and my ponytail remains erect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/at-62-i-remain-clean-and-sober-and-my-ponytail-remains-erect/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Water is a cure-all. Water is everything. You can't get better without drinking lots of water, and you can't drink water unless it's clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/water-is-a-cure-all-water-is-everything-you-can-t-get-better-without/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [The worthiness of any cause is not measured by its clean record, but by its readiness to see the blots when they are pointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/the-worthiness-of-any-cause-is-not-measured-by-its-clean-record-but/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [I like to always wash the slate clean, and reinvigorate my spirit to be connected to the characters that I am doing. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giancarlo-esposito/i-like-to-always-wash-the-slate-clean-and-reinvigorate-my-spirit-to/) [Giancarlo Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giancarlo-esposito/) > [There's a whole journalistic-industrial complex dedicated to keeping newsprint, TV screens and radio waves clean of destabilizing scoops damaging to corporations or the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-s-a-whole-journalistic-industrial-complex-dedicated-to-keeping/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind moaned beyond my room as if a million pipes played the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/night-fell-clean-and-cold-in-dublin-and-wind-moaned-beyond-my-room-as/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) Browse all 2,503 Clean quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries, they're clean as a whistle; there was no violence, no sex, no drugs, nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Milos Forman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-20-years-the-films-of-television-when-it-started-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clean" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-20-years-the-films-of-television-when-it-started-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/445/milos-forman-11744_clean_you-know-20-years-the-films-of-televisio_511499.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know, 20 years... the films of television when it started, the literature, radio in communist countries…” — Milos Forman", "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": "Milos Forman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know, 20 years... the films...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-20-years-the-films-of-television-when-it-started-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/you-know-20-years-the-films-of-television-when-it-started-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 } } ] } ```