--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But once a culture develops sufficiently…" description: "\"But once a culture develops sufficiently to become skeptical, the idea of censorship becomes less attractive. To suppress a book or a picture or a scul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/rebecca-west-1248_aggression_but-once-a-culture-develops-sufficiently_1165129.jpg" --- # But once a culture develops sufficiently to become… ![“But once a culture develops sufficiently to become skeptical, the idea of censorship becomes less attractive. To suppress a book or a picture or a sculpture or a play or a film is a terrible act of aggression against the artist who created it. This is a miming of capital punishment; it destroys…” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/rebecca-west-1248_aggression_but-once-a-culture-develops-sufficiently_1165129.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/rebecca-west-1248_aggression_but-once-a-culture-develops-sufficiently_1165129.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/142/rebecca-west-1248_aggression_but-once-a-culture-develops-sufficiently_1165129.jpg) > “But once a culture develops sufficiently to become skeptical, the idea of censorship becomes less attractive. To suppress a book or a picture or a sculpture or a play or a film is a terrible act of aggression against the artist who created it. This is a miming of capital punishment; it destroys the life that has been emanated by a life.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a society becomes critical, censoring art feels like violent oppression, erasing the creator’s life work. **In simple terms:** Censorship harms artists and society. Key Takeaway Protect artistic freedom. Themes freedom of expression art societal skepticism Mood defiant serious Type philosophical political When to use this quote - publishing - film - visual arts - theater - sculpture Key Concepts censorship authoritarianism creative destruction Questions to Reflect On - How does criticism shape cultural values? - When is limiting speech acceptable? A Different Perspective Censorship may be justified for hate speech or safety concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Attractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attractive/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Capital punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital-punishment/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Censorship Attractive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship-attractive-3352749/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Idea Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-censorship-3352750/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) [Skeptical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skeptical/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Suppress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suppress/) [Suppress Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suppress-book-943785/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) ## Related quotes > [I like the idea that there's no censorship, because it's consistent with my views that we live in a free society and people ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-springer/i-like-the-idea-that-there-s-no-censorship-because-it-s-consistent/) [Jerry Springer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-springer/) > [And at the end of the day, there was an attempt to suppress a book. The book wasn't suppressed. It's freely available in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/and-at-the-end-of-the-day-there-was-an-attempt-to-suppress-a-book-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The publishing of a book is a worldwide event. The attempt to suppress a book is a worldwide event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-publishing-of-a-book-is-a-worldwide-event-the-attempt-to-suppress/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Radicals are only to be feared when you try to suppress them. You must demonstrate that you will use the best of what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/radicals-are-only-to-be-feared-when-you-try-to-suppress-them-you-must/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Many obese people spend a significant amount of their energy on suppressing the urge to tell some of the people who are staring at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-obese-people-spend-a-significant-amount-of-their-energy-on/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/do-not-use-power-to-suppress-opinions-you-think-pernicious-for-if-you/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [All leaders, male or female, innately possess feminine qualities like empathy, candor and vulnerability - the difference lies in which leaders choose to suppress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gerzema/all-leaders-male-or-female-innately-possess-feminine-qualities-like/) [John Gerzema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gerzema/) > [Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lindsay/those-who-suppress-freedom-always-do-so-in-the-name-of-law-and-order/) [John Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lindsay/) > [The more you try to suppress us, the larger we get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/the-more-you-try-to-suppress-us-the-larger-we-get/) [Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/) > [As a musician I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bizet/as-a-musician-i-tell-you-that-if-you-were-to-suppress-adultery/) [Georges Bizet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bizet/) > [One of the main secrets to staying young is staying healthy. I've sometimes had to suppress a smile when some young lady, who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-collins/one-of-the-main-secrets-to-staying-young-is-staying-healthy-i-ve/) [Joan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-collins/) > [One could think of ways to defeat the censor. I could put up the answers on my Facebook page or website or Counterpunch. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/one-could-think-of-ways-to-defeat-the-censor-i-could-put-up-the/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [These men were religious when the spirit of religion was buried in forms and ceremonies, and when the priesthood had armed itself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-a-hitchcock/these-men-were-religious-when-the-spirit-of-religion-was-buried-in/) [Ethan A. Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-a-hitchcock/) > [“Church leaders raised on rationalism lead ministries where the supernatural, the Vertical, is suppressed and where God Himself is at best an observer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macdonald/church-leaders-raised-on-rationalism-lead-ministries-where-the/) [James MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macdonald/) > [If only you can suppress their feelings, you will only force the problems to fester in the dark and develop into even more problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-only-you-can-suppress-their-feelings-you-will-only-force-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Aggression quotes > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used to fight with hate. There's been a lot of aggression in my past growing up and stuff. That's because I was hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-used-to-fight-with-hate-there-s-been-a-lot-of-aggression-in-my-past/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [We have nothing in our history or position to invite aggression; we have everything to beckon us to the cultivation of relations of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-have-nothing-in-our-history-or-position-to-invite-aggression-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take up the standpoint that the tendency to aggression is an innate, independent, instinctual disposition in man, and I come back now to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-take-up-the-standpoint-that-the-tendency-to-aggression-is-an-innate/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Boxing can be so important to young people, it keeps you off the street and you can channel your energy and aggression in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-benn/boxing-can-be-so-important-to-young-people-it-keeps-you-off-the/) [Nigel Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-benn/) > [“That which is of great value cannot be attained through aggression. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/that-which-is-of-great-value-cannot-be-attained-through-aggression/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/a-society-that-presumes-a-norm-of-violence-and-celebrates-aggression/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [I can remember watching MTV Cribs - these amazing houses - and looking around my house where there was no carpet on the floors.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/i-can-remember-watching-mtv-cribs-these-amazing-houses-and-looking/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [Nationalism, on my opinion, is nothing more than an idealistic rationalization for militarism and aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-on-my-opinion-is-nothing-more-than-an-idealistic/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I really like battle ropes. They're so versatile; you can get a terrific workout doing a ton of different exercises with them. My clients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunnar-peterson/i-really-like-battle-ropes-they-re-so-versatile-you-can-get-a/) [Gunnar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunnar-peterson/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) [Empress Dowager Cixi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/empress-dowager-cixi/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [This is passive-aggression in action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-passive-aggression-in-action/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Major international interventions are doomed unless the US is directly or indirectly involved. But if American politicians, officials and servicemen are to be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/major-international-interventions-are-doomed-unless-the-us-is/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) [Browse all 860 Aggression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But once a culture develops sufficiently to become skeptical, the idea of censorship becomes less attractive. To suppress a book or a picture or a sculpture or a play or a film is a terrible act of aggression against the artist who created it. 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