--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: God forbid that any book should be…" description: "\"God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide.\" — Rebecca West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/rebecca-west-1248_banned_god-forbid-that-any-book-should-be-banne_1300213.jpg" --- # God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is… ![“God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/rebecca-west-1248_banned_god-forbid-that-any-book-should-be-banne_1300213.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/rebecca-west-1248_banned_god-forbid-that-any-book-should-be-banne_1300213.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4b/rebecca-west-1248_banned_god-forbid-that-any-book-should-be-banne_1300213.jpg) > “God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide.” [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. Argues that banning books is morally comparable to killing a child, highlighting the severity of censorship. **In simple terms:** Censorship is as grave as killing a child. Key Takeaway Oppose censorship, protect free reading. Themes freedom censorship ethics human rights literature Mood critical ethical reflective Type thought‑provoking serious When to use this quote - library policy - school curriculum - author rights Key Concepts moral philosophy civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - Should any material ever be restricted? - How does banning affect society? A Different Perspective Censorship debates can involve nuanced safety concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Every book that is banned is a badge of honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramoedya-ananta-toer/every-book-that-is-banned-is-a-badge-of-honor/) [Pramoedya Ananta Toer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramoedya-ananta-toer/) > [Although my book is banned I am still allowed to go to China and travel. There is no longer the kind of control that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jung-chang/although-my-book-is-banned-i-am-still-allowed-to-go-to-china-and/) [Jung Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jung-chang/) > [Yeah,there was a whole chapter on you in my eight grade History of Angels textbook," Miles said. Arriane clapped. "And they told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/yeah-there-was-a-whole-chapter-on-you-in-my-eight-grade-history-of/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [Young adult author Richelle Mead holds the distinction to perhaps be the only author ever to have a book banned... before it was even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-shaffer/young-adult-author-richelle-mead-holds-the-distinction-to-perhaps-be/) [Andrew Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-shaffer/) > [As an author, you go into the school, it gets written about in the paper. It sucks that your book was banned, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/as-an-author-you-go-into-the-school-it-gets-written-about-in-the/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [A lot of authors see their book being banned or challenged as a badge of honor. But for me, it's nothing but frustrating and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/a-lot-of-authors-see-their-book-being-banned-or-challenged-as-a-badge/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [Few things in life seem more sexy than a banned book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/few-things-in-life-seem-more-sexy-than-a-banned-book/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [East Germany was so total in its totalitarianism that everything was banned which wasn't compulsory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/east-germany-was-so-total-in-its-totalitarianism-that-everything-was/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [One of the lessons learned during the Vietnam War was that the depiction of wounded soldiers, of coffins stacked higher than their living guards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/one-of-the-lessons-learned-during-the-vietnam-war-was-that-the/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [Nonsmokers should be banned from buying any product a smoker created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-strummer/nonsmokers-should-be-banned-from-buying-any-product-a-smoker-created/) [Joe Strummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-strummer/) > [I tried to go to Kosovo to establish a statue to commemorate those who died during the wars, and to discuss moving on, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-dacic/i-tried-to-go-to-kosovo-to-establish-a-statue-to-commemorate-those/) [Ivica Dacic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-dacic/) > [I hate that word 'hate' - it should be banned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-appleton/i-hate-that-word-hate-it-should-be-banned/) [Nicole Appleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-appleton/) > [Our main agenda is to have all guns banned of course. We must use whatever means possible. It doesn't matter if you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brady/our-main-agenda-is-to-have-all-guns-banned-of-course-we-must-use/) [Sarah Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brady/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Former social media user who got sick of it all when I was banned at Digg in 2007. Now Im back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/former-social-media-user-who-got-sick-of-it-all-when-i-was-banned-at/) [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 Banned quotes > [Former social media user who got sick of it all when I was banned at Digg in 2007. Now Im back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/former-social-media-user-who-got-sick-of-it-all-when-i-was-banned-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Political correctness is a major defect of the western ethos. Some Western countries have even passed blasphemy laws that would put you in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-sina/political-correctness-is-a-major-defect-of-the-western-ethos-some/) [Ali Sina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-sina/) > [Our main agenda is to have all guns banned of course. We must use whatever means possible. It doesn't matter if you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brady/our-main-agenda-is-to-have-all-guns-banned-of-course-we-must-use/) [Sarah Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brady/) > [I hate that word 'hate' - it should be banned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-appleton/i-hate-that-word-hate-it-should-be-banned/) [Nicole Appleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-appleton/) > [I tried to go to Kosovo to establish a statue to commemorate those who died during the wars, and to discuss moving on, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivica-dacic/i-tried-to-go-to-kosovo-to-establish-a-statue-to-commemorate-those/) [Ivica Dacic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivica-dacic/) > [Nonsmokers should be banned from buying any product a smoker created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-strummer/nonsmokers-should-be-banned-from-buying-any-product-a-smoker-created/) [Joe Strummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-strummer/) > [One of the lessons learned during the Vietnam War was that the depiction of wounded soldiers, of coffins stacked higher than their living guards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/one-of-the-lessons-learned-during-the-vietnam-war-was-that-the/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [East Germany was so total in its totalitarianism that everything was banned which wasn't compulsory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/east-germany-was-so-total-in-its-totalitarianism-that-everything-was/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Few things in life seem more sexy than a banned book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/few-things-in-life-seem-more-sexy-than-a-banned-book/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I wanted to live with the \*\*\*\*ing manta rays, but they banned me from Sea World.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-wanted-to-live-with-the-ing-manta-rays-but-they-banned-me-from-sea/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [The referee will now keep track of the time on the field and the shootouts have finally been banned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cobi-jones/the-referee-will-now-keep-track-of-the-time-on-the-field-and-the/) [Cobi Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cobi-jones/) > [As an author, you go into the school, it gets written about in the paper. It sucks that your book was banned, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/as-an-author-you-go-into-the-school-it-gets-written-about-in-the/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [It's impossible to make a movie out of 'Naked Lunch.' A literal translation just wouldn't work. It would cost $400 million to make and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/it-s-impossible-to-make-a-movie-out-of-naked-lunch-a-literal/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [“Banning something is the easiest way to make it desirable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/banning-something-is-the-easiest-way-to-make-it-desirable/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [Many other countries have already banned human cloning, and there are efforts at the UN to make such a ban universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/many-other-countries-have-already-banned-human-cloning-and-there-are/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) Browse all 283 Banned quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "God forbid that any book should be banned. 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