--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The moment you say that any idea system…" description: "\"“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg" --- # The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether… ![“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible." [ Defend the right to be offended (…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg) > ““The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible." \[ Defend the right to be offended ( openDemocracy , 7 February 2005)\]”” [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. Declaring ideas immune to criticism kills free thought; no idea should be beyond satire or critique. **In simple terms:** Protecting ideas from criticism ends freedom of thought. Key Takeaway Defend open critique of all ideas. Themes free speech critical thinking intolerance Mood thoughtful controversial Type philosophical political When to use this quote - academic debate - media commentary - political discourse - social media Key Concepts philosophy politics Questions to Reflect On - When does criticism become harmful? - How to protect vulnerable groups while preserving speech? A Different Perspective Balancing respect and critique is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief Secular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-secular-1686918/) [Belief System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-system/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Freedom of speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-speech/) [Freedom of thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-thought/) [Freedom-of-opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom-of-opinion-67536/) [Idea Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-sacred-1686916/) [Ideas Immune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-immune-1686917/) [Immunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immunity/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Offended Opendemocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offended-opendemocracy-2516993/) [Secular Ideology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secular-ideology-1429492/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system-is-sacred-whether-it-s-a/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-declare-a-set-of-ideas-to-be-immune-from-criticism/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The idea of the sacred is quite simply one of the most conservative notions in any culture, because it seeks to turn other ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-idea-of-the-sacred-is-quite-simply-one-of-the-most-conservative/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I have been with the Congress because I believe in a secular ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagma/i-have-been-with-the-congress-because-i-believe-in-a-secular-ideology/) [Nagma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagma/) > [In a vast and diverse country like India, a political party with secular ideology can ensure stable and progressive government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/in-a-vast-and-diverse-country-like-india-a-political-party-with/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I have always had a serious political career in mind and my secular ideology matches with that of the Congress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagma/i-have-always-had-a-serious-political-career-in-mind-and-my-secular/) [Nagma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagma/) > [Whenever people are certain they understand our peculiar situation here on this planet, it is because they have accepted a religious Faith or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/whenever-people-are-certain-they-understand-our-peculiar-situation/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I like the idea that the sacred photo framing process is equally violatible and I think that's partly a carryover from the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-matta-clark/i-like-the-idea-that-the-sacred-photo-framing-process-is-equally/) [Gordon Matta-Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-matta-clark/) > [No belief or idea is sacred, unless it treats all people as sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-belief-or-idea-is-sacred-unless-it-treats-all-people-as-sacred/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you're willing to recognize the religious element in one secular ideology, you need to be able to recognize it in your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/if-you-re-willing-to-recognize-the-religious-element-in-one-secular/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [Church architecture describes visually the idea of the sacred, which is a fundamental need of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-botta/church-architecture-describes-visually-the-idea-of-the-sacred-which/) [Mario Botta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-botta/) > [Nobody has the right to shield any idea as so sacred it can’t be challenged. ... Almost all human progress is driven by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/nobody-has-the-right-to-shield-any-idea-as-so-sacred-it-can-t-be/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“Remember, we all make our work available in a commercial transaction, the terms of which we, ourselves, dictate. If we give it away for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-morin/remember-we-all-make-our-work-available-in-a-commercial-transaction/) [Pete Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-morin/) > [ “May it \[American independence\] be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/may-it-american-independence-be-to-the-world-what-i-believe-it-will/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [ “ \[Blog post, March 10, 2014\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-charles/blog-post-march-10-2014/) [K.J. Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-charles/) ## 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 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": "“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular ideology, the moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.\" [ Defend the right to be offended ( openDemocracy , 7 February 2005)]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Salman Rushdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system-is-sacred-whether-it-s-a-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censorship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system-is-sacred-whether-it-s-a-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/salman-rushdie-153_censorship_the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system_2672750.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The moment you say that any idea system is sacred, whether it’s a religious belief system or a secular…” — Salman Rushdie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Salman Rushdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The moment you say that any...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system-is-sacred-whether-it-s-a-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-moment-you-say-that-any-idea-system-is-sacred-whether-it-s-a-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```