--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: However much we champion freedom of…" description: "\"“However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. We seek out publications that mirror or support our p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/robert-trivers-47182_censoring_however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thou_145538.jpg" --- # However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually… ![“However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. We seek out publications that mirror or support our prior views and largely avoid those that don't.” quote by Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/robert-trivers-47182_censoring_however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thou_145538.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/robert-trivers-47182_censoring_however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thou_145538.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ff/robert-trivers-47182_censoring_however-much-we-champion-freedom-of-thou_145538.jpg) > ““However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. We seek out publications that mirror or support our prior views and largely avoid those that don't.”” [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People tend to seek information that confirms existing beliefs, leading to self‑censorship of opposing ideas. **In simple terms:** We filter out ideas that challenge us. Key Takeaway Seek diverse perspectives actively. Themes cognitive bias confirmation bias information echo chambers critical thinking Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - media consumption - academic research - political discourse - personal decision‑making Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What sources challenge your assumptions? - How can you create a habit of reading opposing viewpoints? A Different Perspective Changing habits is hard when social circles reinforce existing views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censoring/) [Censoring Input](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censoring-input-1632333/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom of thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-thought/) [Freedom Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-thought-433344/) [Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Censoring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-censoring-1632332/) [Viewpoints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viewpoints/) [Views Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views-largely-1632334/) ## Related quotes > [Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/restriction-of-free-thought-and-free-speech-is-the-most-dangerous-of-2/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [“Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-a-edwards/too-many-adults-wish-to-protect-teenagers-when-they-should-be/) [Margaret A. Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-a-edwards/) > [the fundamental right of freedom of thought and expression is essential. If you curtail what the other fellow says and does, you curtail what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/the-fundamental-right-of-freedom-of-thought-and-expression-is/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; It appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-appears-to-me-whether-rightly-or-wrongly-that-direct-arguments/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [But now, I, August Comte, have discovered the truth. Therefore, there is no longer any need for freedom of thought or freedom of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/but-now-i-august-comte-have-discovered-the-truth-therefore-there-is/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [Intellectual freedom is essential -- freedom to obtain and distribute information, freedom for open-minded and unfearing debate and freedom from pressure by officialdom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/intellectual-freedom-is-essential-freedom-to-obtain-and-distribute/) [Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/) > [From a comparative perspective, the United States is unusual if not unique in the lack of restraints on freedom of expression. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/from-a-comparative-perspective-the-united-states-is-unusual-if-not/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I always strive for freedom: freedom of thought and expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lykke-li/i-always-strive-for-freedom-freedom-of-thought-and-expression/) [Lykke Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lykke-li/) > [There should be complete freedom of thought for a progressive society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/there-should-be-complete-freedom-of-thought-for-a-progressive-society/) [Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/) > [If mankind is to profit freely from the small and sporadic crop of the heroically gifted it produces, it will have to cultivate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-trotter/if-mankind-is-to-profit-freely-from-the-small-and-sporadic-crop-of/) [Wilfred Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-trotter/) > [There is nothing wrong with intellectual differences flowing from freedom of thought as long as such differences remain confined to intellectual debates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pervez-musharraf/there-is-nothing-wrong-with-intellectual-differences-flowing-from/) [Pervez Musharraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pervez-musharraf/) > [“When the Christian Crusaders in the East came into collision with that invincible order of assassins, that order of free spirits par excellence, whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-the-christian-crusaders-in-the-east-came-into-collision-with/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Among those liberties which we in this UNION claim for the child, due to him as a person, is freedom of thought, the function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parents-national-education-union/among-those-liberties-which-we-in-this-union-claim-for-the-child-due/) [Parents' National Education Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parents-national-education-union/) > [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/heresy-is-only-another-word-for-freedom-of-thought/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) ## More by Robert Trivers > [“The great sage Thales once put the general matter succinctly "Oh master," he was asked, "what is the most difficult thing to do?" "To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/the-great-sage-thales-once-put-the-general-matter-succinctly-oh/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [The chimpanzee and the human share about 99.5 percent of their evolutionary history, yet most human thinkers regard the chimp as a malformed, irrelevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/the-chimpanzee-and-the-human-share-about-99-5-percent-of-their/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [“A kind of bias I share says that if a human thinks symmetry is important it may or may not be, but if a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/a-kind-of-bias-i-share-says-that-if-a-human-thinks-symmetry-is/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [“The offspring cannot rely on its parents for disinterested guidance. One expects the offspring to be preprogrammed to resist some parental manipulation while being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/the-offspring-cannot-rely-on-its-parents-for-disinterested-guidance/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [If... deceit is fundamental to animal communication, then there must be strong selection to spot deception and this ought, in turn, to select for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/if-deceit-is-fundamental-to-animal-communication-then-there-must-be/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [“Revolutionary moments often seem to occur in history when large numbers of individuals have a change in consciousness, regarding themselves and their status”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/revolutionary-moments-often-seem-to-occur-in-history-when-large/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) > [“A very disturbing feature of overconfidence is that it often appears to be poorly associated with knowledge - that is, the more ignorant the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-trivers/a-very-disturbing-feature-of-overconfidence-is-that-it-often-appears/) [Robert Trivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) [Explore all 8 Robert Trivers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-trivers/) ## More Censoring quotes > [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/) > [One thing is for sure-none of the arts flourishes on censorship and repression. And by this time it should be evident that the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/one-thing-is-for-sure-none-of-the-arts-flourishes-on-censorship-and/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I'm squandering invaluable gray matter by censoring myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-salie/i-m-squandering-invaluable-gray-matter-by-censoring-myself/) [Faith Salie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-salie/) > [We have the very best censoring devices in our own homes. If we don't like what we see on television, we can turn off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-connors/we-have-the-very-best-censoring-devices-in-our-own-homes-if-we-don-t/) [Mike Connors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-connors/) > [“Once we succumb to the temptations of censoring ideas with which we disagree, we step onto a slippery slope where everyone's freedom is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/once-we-succumb-to-the-temptations-of-censoring-ideas-with-which-we/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [...The Bill of Rights is a literal and absolute document. The First Amendment doesn't say you have a right to speak out unless the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-bill-of-rights-is-a-literal-and-absolute-document-the-first/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [When a library expels a book of mine and leaves an unexpurgated Bible lying around where unprotected youth and age can get hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/when-a-library-expels-a-book-of-mine-and-leaves-an-unexpurgated-bible/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There's more than one way to be a girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-faust/there-s-more-than-one-way-to-be-a-girl/) [Lauren Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-faust/) > [What comes with a job as a staff member of the BBC is a certain self-censoring that you get utterly used to. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/what-comes-with-a-job-as-a-staff-member-of-the-bbc-is-a-certain-self/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [Love your material. Nothing frightens the inner critic more than the writer who loves her work. The writer who is enamored of her material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/love-your-material-nothing-frightens-the-inner-critic-more-than-the/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-whitney-griswold/the-source-of-better-ideas-is-wisdom-the-surest-path-to-wisdom-is-a/) [Alfred Whitney Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-whitney-griswold/) > [“Too many adults wish to 'protect' teenagers when they should be stimulating them to read of life as it is lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-a-edwards/too-many-adults-wish-to-protect-teenagers-when-they-should-be/) [Margaret A. Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-a-edwards/) > [Yet the transgender lobby aggressively attacks any critical voice as transphobic and tries to censor us from speaking. There is a big difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-raymond/yet-the-transgender-lobby-aggressively-attacks-any-critical-voice-as/) [Janice Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-raymond/) > [I've never been interested or particularly good at censoring my experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/i-ve-never-been-interested-or-particularly-good-at-censoring-my/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) [Browse all 67 Censoring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censoring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“However much we champion freedom of thought, we actually spend much of our time censoring input. 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