--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody has the right to not be offended…" description: "\"“Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read. If you are offended it is your problem, and fra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/salman-rushdie-153_books_nobody-has-the-right-to-not-be-offended_2673611.jpg" --- # Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right… ![“Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read. If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people. I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/salman-rushdie-153_books_nobody-has-the-right-to-not-be-offended_2673611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/salman-rushdie-153_books_nobody-has-the-right-to-not-be-offended_2673611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/salman-rushdie-153_books_nobody-has-the-right-to-not-be-offended_2673611.jpg) > ““Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read. If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people. I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it. To read a 600-page novel and then say that it has deeply offended you: well, you have done a lot of work to be offended.”” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Offense is personal; reading alternatives is better than censorship. **In simple terms:** Offense is personal; read another book. Key Takeaway Choose reading over burning. Themes free speech offense literature Mood critical defensive Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - bookstores - political debate - education Key Concepts ethics personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance free speech with harmful content? - What responsibilities do readers have? A Different Perspective May down systemic oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Free speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-speech/) [Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offended/) [Offended Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offended-problem-2523227/) [Offended Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offended-right-564204/) [Offense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offense/) [Read Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-offended-2523228/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Right Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-offended-564205/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Work Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-offended-2523229/) ## Related quotes > [“Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read. If you are offended it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/nobody-has-the-right-to-not-be-offended-that-right-doesn-t-exist-in/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“If you are easily offended it proves one thing: You don't have a relationship with the Comforter, because He can kiss you and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-cooke/if-you-are-easily-offended-it-proves-one-thing-you-don-t-have-a/) [Graham Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-cooke/) > [If you're offended, it's your problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-re-offended-it-s-your-problem/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not super-easily offended, but it's a problem when someone's making you feel different or separate because of your race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-weymouth/i-m-not-super-easily-offended-but-it-s-a-problem-when-someone-s/) [Emma Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-weymouth/) > [“He wasn't yours to get hurt by. He was someone else's and you knew that, so why are you offended? What right do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/he-wasn-t-yours-to-get-hurt-by-he-was-someone-else-s-and-you-knew/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [I understand that we should never lose our right to be offended, so I accept it. But for me it was always a study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-pierce/i-understand-that-we-should-never-lose-our-right-to-be-offended-so-i/) [Wendell Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-pierce/) > [People have every right to be offended -- but that doesn't mean they get to take away your right to offend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leiren-young/people-have-every-right-to-be-offended-but-that-doesn-t-mean-they-get/) [Mark Leiren-Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leiren-young/) > [The only right we do not and should not have in a liberal democracy is a right not to be offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flemming-rose/the-only-right-we-do-not-and-should-not-have-in-a-liberal-democracy/) [Flemming Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flemming-rose/) > [You have the right to be offended or not to be offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bartlett/you-have-the-right-to-be-offended-or-not-to-be-offended/) [John Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bartlett/) > [“Right now, anyone who is offended about anything--whether it's the fact that a book about racism was assigned in a university class, or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/right-now-anyone-who-is-offended-about-anything-whether-it-s-the-fact/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“just because it offends you doesn't mean it violates your rights. You don't have a right to not be offended”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/just-because-it-offends-you-doesn-t-mean-it-violates-your-rights-you/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) > [There is no right to not be offended, nor should there be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fisher/there-is-no-right-to-not-be-offended-nor-should-there-be/) [Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fisher/) > [When it comes to ideas - and religions are, among other things, ideas - there is no right not to be offended. ... In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-pollitt/when-it-comes-to-ideas-and-religions-are-among-other-things-ideas/) [Katha Pollitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-pollitt/) > [I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-can-walk-into-a-bookshop-and-point-out-a-number-of-books-that-i/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nobody has the right to not be offended. That right doesn't exist in any declaration I have ever read. If you are offended it is your problem, and frankly lots of things offend lots of people. I can walk into a bookshop and point out a number of books that I find very unattractive in what they say. But it doesn't occur to me to burn the bookshop down. If you don't like a book, read another book. If you start reading a book and you decide you don't like it, nobody is telling you to finish it. 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