--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course, you can't legislate for how…" description: "\"Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read\" — Paul Muldoon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg" --- # Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to… ![“Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read” quote by Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg) > “Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read” [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legislation cannot dictate personal reading preferences. **In simple terms:** Laws can't control reading habits. Key Takeaway Promote freedom of choice. Themes freedom reading legislation Mood critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - schools - libraries - digital platforms - public policy Key Concepts censorship individual autonomy Questions to Reflect On - Should governments influence cultural consumption? - How does personal taste resist imposed norms? A Different Perspective Attempts to regulate reading may backfire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“I understand all too well that you can make legislation but you can't legislate how people feel toward one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/i-understand-all-too-well-that-you-can-make-legislation-but-you-can-t/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [It's hard to legislate what people eat. People are getting fed up with being told what they can and can't do. It boils down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/it-s-hard-to-legislate-what-people-eat-people-are-getting-fed-up-with/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [This nation is able to legislate for its own people on every question, without waiting for the aid or consent of any other nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/this-nation-is-able-to-legislate-for-its-own-people-on-every-question/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [“I've maybe read a third of 'em. But I'm going to read them all. I call it my Life's Library. Every summer since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-ve-maybe-read-a-third-of-em-but-i-m-going-to-read-them-all-i-call/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I read a picture not for what's really going on there, I read it more for what is going on in our world generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-gursky/i-read-a-picture-not-for-what-s-really-going-on-there-i-read-it-more/) [Andreas Gursky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-gursky/) > [If kids like a picture book, they're going to read it at least 50 times. Read anything that often, and even minor imperfections start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/if-kids-like-a-picture-book-they-re-going-to-read-it-at-least-50/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [If you're going to read this, don't bother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/if-you-re-going-to-read-this-don-t-bother/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [If you're going to read five books, three should be issues and two for fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/if-you-re-going-to-read-five-books-three-should-be-issues-and-two-for/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [I feel guilty if I'm not reading books, but I read scripts of movies or things that I know I'm committed to that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-feel-guilty-if-i-m-not-reading-books-but-i-read-scripts-of-movies/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [I didn't really like reading much before I did 'The Golden Compass'. But then my teacher told me to read it. And I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakota-blue-richards/i-didn-t-really-like-reading-much-before-i-did-the-golden-compass-but/) [Dakota Blue Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakota-blue-richards/) > [If it's all instruction, you get annoyed with it and bored, and you stop reading. If it's all entertainment, you read it quite quickly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-it-s-all-instruction-you-get-annoyed-with-it-and-bored-and-you/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Reading is one of the most individual things that happens. So every reader is going to read a piece in a slightly different way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/reading-is-one-of-the-most-individual-things-that-happens-so-every/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Whenever you have two characters in a book, whether it's a novel or nonfiction, you run the risk that the reader is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whenever-you-have-two-characters-in-a-book-whether-it-s-a-novel-or/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I realized that my book readings were boring me. I was going to go up there and read a passage and sleepwalk through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-realized-that-my-book-readings-were-boring-me-i-was-going-to-go-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [You know, I've always been really interested in this stuff, and I'm going to read this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/you-know-i-ve-always-been-really-interested-in-this-stuff-and-i-m/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More by Paul Muldoon > [It's not as if I'm trying to write crossword puzzles to which one might find an answer at the back of the book or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/it-s-not-as-if-i-m-trying-to-write-crossword-puzzles-to-which-one/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [Living at that pitch, on that edge, is something which many poets engage in to some extent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/living-at-that-pitch-on-that-edge-is-something-which-many-poets/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [If the poem has no obvious destination, there's a chance that we'll be all setting off on an interesting ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/if-the-poem-has-no-obvious-destination-there-s-a-chance-that-we-ll-be/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [Form is a straitjacket in the way that a straitjacket was a straitjacket for Houdini,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/form-is-a-straitjacket-in-the-way-that-a-straitjacket-was-a/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [The other side of it is that, despite all that, people reach out to poetry at the key moments in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/the-other-side-of-it-is-that-despite-all-that-people-reach-out-to/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [One will never again look at a birch tree, after the Robert Frost poem, in exactly the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/one-will-never-again-look-at-a-birch-tree-after-the-robert-frost-poem/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [That's one of the great things about poetry; one realises that one does one's little turn - that you're just part of the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/that-s-one-of-the-great-things-about-poetry-one-realises-that-one/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [We simply have not kept in touch with poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/we-simply-have-not-kept-in-touch-with-poetry/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [Words want to find chimes with each other, things want to connect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/words-want-to-find-chimes-with-each-other-things-want-to-connect/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [There's very little of the intentional about the business of writing poetry, as least as far as I can see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/there-s-very-little-of-the-intentional-about-the-business-of-writing/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [I suppose for whatever reason I actively welcome being put down, something which perhaps goes back to my upbringing - that accusation of not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/i-suppose-for-whatever-reason-i-actively-welcome-being-put-down/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [I live in New Jersey now, which always gets a bad rap here and there, but I must say, I enjoy living here too](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/i-live-in-new-jersey-now-which-always-gets-a-bad-rap-here-and-there/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [It seems to me the structure of the Quartets is too imposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/it-seems-to-me-the-structure-of-the-quartets-is-too-imposed/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [Confusion is what we're living with - not being able to make sense of what's happening to us from day to day. Whereas making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/confusion-is-what-we-re-living-with-not-being-able-to-make-sense-of/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) > [What I try to do is to go into a poem - and one writes them, of course, poem by poem - to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/what-i-try-to-do-is-to-go-into-a-poem-and-one-writes-them-of-course/) [Paul Muldoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) [Explore all 30 Paul Muldoon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/) ## More Legislate quotes > [You can't legislate good will - that comes through education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/you-can-t-legislate-good-will-that-comes-through-education/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [If you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-harris/if-you-re-not-electing-christians-then-in-essence-you-are-going-to/) [Katherine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-harris/) > [I can't legislate a song into being; it just will not happen for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-crosby/i-can-t-legislate-a-song-into-being-it-just-will-not-happen-for-me/) [David Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-crosby/) > [“It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/it-is-a-truism-that-almost-any-sect-cult-or-religion-will-legislate/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Pat Moynihan could write books with one hand and legislate with the other. I can't; I have a short attention span. The slightest distraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/pat-moynihan-could-write-books-with-one-hand-and-legislate-with-the/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [“There is very little truth in the old refrain that one cannot legislate equality. Laws not only provide concrete benefits, they can even change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-king/there-is-very-little-truth-in-the-old-refrain-that-one-cannot/) [Gilbert King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-king/) > [I've made it pretty clear that I can't legislate or dictate proper behavior. You can't. You do everything that you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-reynolds/i-ve-made-it-pretty-clear-that-i-can-t-legislate-or-dictate-proper/) [Kim Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-reynolds/) > [You can't legislate good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/you-can-t-legislate-good-taste/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I think it is very difficult to legislate for morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elton/i-think-it-is-very-difficult-to-legislate-for-morality/) [Ben Elton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elton/) > [Though it's impossible for us to legislate one's thoughts and feelings, we still need things like affirmative action in place because without measures like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coleman/though-it-s-impossible-for-us-to-legislate-one-s-thoughts-and/) [Jonathan Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coleman/) > [“While we keep legislating for our own interests the country will not move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-bello-accioly/while-we-keep-legislating-for-our-own-interests-the-country-will-not/) [Victor Bello Accioly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-bello-accioly/) > [Man never legislates,but destinies and accidents,happening in all sorts of ways,legislate in all sorts of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/man-never-legislates-but-destinies-and-accidents-happening-in-all/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“We cannot expect the government to legislate everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-vickers/we-cannot-expect-the-government-to-legislate-everything/) [Lee Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-vickers/) > [If there be any plausible reason for supposing that we have the right to legislate on the slave interests of the District, you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-cushing/if-there-be-any-plausible-reason-for-supposing-that-we-have-the-right/) [Caleb Cushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-cushing/) > [“Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/almost-any-sect-cult-or-religion-will-legislate-its-creed-into-law-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) Browse all 52 Legislate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Muldoon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-people-are-going-to-read/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Legislate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-people-are-going-to-read/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fd/paul-muldoon-20767_legislate_of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-pe_226999.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of course, you can't legislate for how people are going to read” — Paul Muldoon", "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": "Paul Muldoon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-muldoon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of course, you can't legislate for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-people-are-going-to-read/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-muldoon/of-course-you-can-t-legislate-for-how-people-are-going-to-read/#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 } } ] } ```