--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the first time in my life, I was…" description: "\"“For the first time in my life, I was reading things which had not been approved by the Prophet's censors, and the impact on my mind was devastating. S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/robert-a-heinlein-209_censorship_for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-was-read_2629534.jpg" --- # For the first time in my life, I was reading things which… ![“For the first time in my life, I was reading things which had not been approved by the Prophet's censors, and the impact on my mind was devastating. Sometimes I would glance over my shoulder to see who was watching me, frightened in spite of myself. I began to sense faintly that secrecy is the…” quote by Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/robert-a-heinlein-209_censorship_for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-was-read_2629534.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/robert-a-heinlein-209_censorship_for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-was-read_2629534.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/robert-a-heinlein-209_censorship_for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-was-read_2629534.jpg) > ““For the first time in my life, I was reading things which had not been approved by the Prophet's censors, and the impact on my mind was devastating. Sometimes I would glance over my shoulder to see who was watching me, frightened in spite of myself. I began to sense faintly that secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy...censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to it's subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked, contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything---you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.”” [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Secrecy, not brute force, is the foundation of tyranny; a free mind cannot be controlled by censorship. **In simple terms:** Censorship creates tyranny, a free mind resists control. Key Takeaway Protect open access to information. Themes freedom censorship tyranny mind control Mood defiant reflective Type philosophical political When to use this quote - authoritarian regimes - religious institutions - educational settings - personal self‑censorship Key Concepts Political philosophy psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How does secrecy enable oppression? - What can individuals do to keep their minds free? A Different Perspective Even without force, subtle pressures can still shape thoughts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Censorship Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship-government-2178323/) [End result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-result/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Free man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-man/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secrecy Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy-censorship-1904554/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [Secrecy is the keystone to all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy and censorship. When any government or church for that matter, undertakes to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/secrecy-is-the-keystone-to-all-tyranny-not-force-but-secrecy-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Secrecy, censorship, dishonesty, and blocking of communication threaten all the basic needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/secrecy-censorship-dishonesty-and-blocking-of-communication-threaten/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [I have a very specific definition of censorship. Censorship must be done by the government or it's not censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-have-a-very-specific-definition-of-censorship-censorship-must-be/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [“Pick a leader who will make their citizens proud. One who will stir the hearts of the people, so that the sons and daughters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-make-their-citizens-proud-one-who-will-stir/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to its subjects, This you may not read, this you must not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/when-any-government-or-any-church-for-that-matter-undertakes-to-say/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked; contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/mighty-little-force-is-needed-to-control-a-man-whose-mind-has-been/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [A slave cannot be freed, save he do it himself. Nor can you enslave a free man; the very most you can do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/a-slave-cannot-be-freed-save-he-do-it-himself-nor-can-you-enslave-a/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/you-can-t-conquer-a-free-man-the-most-you-can-do-is-kill-him/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [The whole principle (censorship) is wrong; it's like demanding that grown men live on skim milk because the baby can't eat steak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-whole-principle-censorship-is-wrong-it-s-like-demanding-that/) [Robert A. 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The failure of India's public institutions to keep pace with the dramatic political, economic and social transformations under way has led to severe gaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-vaishnav/the-failure-of-india-s-public-institutions-to-keep-pace-with-the/) [Milan Vaishnav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-vaishnav/) > [“There are times in our lives when we labor so hard, for so long, that it may feel that we have nothing to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-buckley/there-are-times-in-our-lives-when-we-labor-so-hard-for-so-long-that/) [Jaime Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-buckley/) > [“So how are the wedding plans progressing?" Richard asked, once they were out of the village. "They aren't." Breckenridge heard his clipped tones, heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/so-how-are-the-wedding-plans-progressing-richard-asked-once-they-were/) [Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/) > [The end result of how I obviously departed from the Cubs wasn't ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/the-end-result-of-how-i-obviously-departed-from-the-cubs-wasn-t-ideal/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) ## More by Robert A. Heinlein > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ninety-percent-of-all-human-wisdom-is-the-ability-to-mind-your-own/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Some people are ants by nature; they have to work, even when it’s useless. Few people have a talent for constructive laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/some-people-are-ants-by-nature-they-have-to-work-even-when-it-s/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“The instinct to survive is human nature itself, and every aspect of our personalities derives from it. Anything that conflicts with the survival instinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/the-instinct-to-survive-is-human-nature-itself-and-every-aspect-of/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“I tried to dig out of the computer a call directory for Luna. But it was still sulking. I could not get it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/i-tried-to-dig-out-of-the-computer-a-call-directory-for-luna-but-it/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“this has more aspects than a cat has hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/this-has-more-aspects-than-a-cat-has-hair/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Never own more than you can carry in both hands at a dead run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/never-own-more-than-you-can-carry-in-both-hands-at-a-dead-run/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“In Wilson's scale of evaluations breakfast rated just after life itself and ahead of the chance of immortality." ~ By His Bootstraps / Robert A. Heinlein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/in-wilson-s-scale-of-evaluations-breakfast-rated-just-after-life/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/ignorance-is-curable-stupid-is-forever/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) [Explore all 888 Robert A. Heinlein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More Censorship quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [“Censors don’t want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/censors-don-t-want-children-exposed-to-ideas-different-from-their-own/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I don't believe in censorship in any form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/i-don-t-believe-in-censorship-in-any-form/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [We must be talented, powerful and resilient creatures indeed given how much we manage to produce despite the constant undercutting, ridicule and needless censorship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/we-must-be-talented-powerful-and-resilient-creatures-indeed-given-how/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“I agree that it's a shame some books have to suffer ratings that clearly are invalid. However I can't think of a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/i-agree-that-it-s-a-shame-some-books-have-to-suffer-ratings-that/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [Art made tongue-tied by authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/art-made-tongue-tied-by-authority/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The tendency to want what has been banned and therefore to presume that it is more worthwhile is not limited to such commodities as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-cialdini/the-tendency-to-want-what-has-been-banned-and-therefore-to-presume/) [Robert B. Cialdini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-cialdini/) > [The only thing that is obscene is censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-thing-that-is-obscene-is-censorship/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a feature film, the question of censorship always comes up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/in-a-feature-film-the-question-of-censorship-always-comes-up/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [“Don't join the book burners. Don't think you're going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don't be afraid to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/don-t-join-the-book-burners-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-conceal/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) [Browse all 884 Censorship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For the first time in my life, I was reading things which had not been approved by the Prophet's censors, and the impact on my mind was devastating. Sometimes I would glance over my shoulder to see who was watching me, frightened in spite of myself. I began to sense faintly that secrecy is the keystone of all tyranny. Not force, but secrecy...censorship. When any government, or any church for that matter, undertakes to say to it's subjects, This you may not read, this you must not see, this you are forbidden to know, the end result is tyranny and oppression, no matter how holy the motives. Mighty little force is needed to control a man whose mind has been hoodwinked, contrariwise, no amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. No, not the rack, not fission bombs, not anything---you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. 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