--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Western people often see obscenity where…" description: "\"Western people often see obscenity where there is only symbolism.\" — Sir John Woodroffe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png" --- # Western people often see obscenity where there is only… ![“Western people often see obscenity where there is only symbolism.” quote by Sir John Woodroffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png) > “Western people often see obscenity where there is only symbolism.” Sir John Woodroffe ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often mistake symbolic expression for vulgarity because they lack cultural context or depth of interpretation. **In simple terms:** Symbolism can be misread as obscenity without proper understanding. Key Takeaway Cultural literacy prevents misinterpretation. Themes interpretation culture symbolism misunderstanding Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - art criticism - media analysis - cross‑cultural communication Key Concepts semiotics cultural relativism Practical Applications - Provide contextual background when presenting symbolic works - Encourage audience education on cultural symbols Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural background shape our perception of art? - When might symbolism be intentionally provocative? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Obscenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Symbolism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolism/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [You have to show violence the way it is. If you don't show it realistically, then that's immoral and harmful. If you don't upset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/you-have-to-show-violence-the-way-it-is-if-you-don-t-show-it/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [Whether my acting was obscene, or whether it was distasteful, well, Judge Rehnquist, who just recently passed away couldn't define pornography. His comment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reems/whether-my-acting-was-obscene-or-whether-it-was-distasteful-well/) [Harry Reems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reems/) > [“a culture, we will begin to discern which of these approaches and their many variants will have the most impact with the people we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/a-culture-we-will-begin-to-discern-which-of-these-approaches-and/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [That's something that I'm trying to do in my work, to send a message to western people. They're the ones who are completely disconnected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/that-s-something-that-i-m-trying-to-do-in-my-work-to-send-a-message/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [“Whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not, the Western conception of human rights is really about the practices of other states--but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gibney/whether-we-are-willing-to-acknowledge-it-or-not-the-western/) Mark Gibney > [“There's a spirit to the western people, that is unique in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolas-schreck/there-s-a-spirit-to-the-western-people-that-is-unique-in-the-world/) [Nikolas Schreck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolas-schreck/) > [“The biggest enemy of western people is not war or terrorism, it is their own governments lack of regulation of public health and safety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-biggest-enemy-of-western-people-is-not-war-or-terrorism-it-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [In countries other than Pakistan - I won't necessarily call them 'Western' - people support me. This is because people there respect others. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/in-countries-other-than-pakistan-i-won-t-necessarily-call-them/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [“Westereners often think that the East is one vast Buddhist temple, which is rather like thinking the West is one vast Carthusian monastery. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/westereners-often-think-that-the-east-is-one-vast-buddhist-temple/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [There is something powerful in the whispering of obscenities, about those in power. There's something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-something-powerful-in-the-whispering-of-obscenities-about/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“They told me I was not to draw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-diana/they-told-me-i-was-not-to-draw/) Mike Diana > [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“No more peeping through keyholes! No more mas turbating in the dark! No more public confessions! Unscrew the doors from their jambs! I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/no-more-peeping-through-keyholes-no-more-mas-turbating-in-the-dark-no/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [That which attempts to elevate the ugly to the level of beauty becomes neither; but an obscenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/that-which-attempts-to-elevate-the-ugly-to-the-level-of-beauty/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## More by Sir John Woodroffe > [An examination of Indian Vedic doctrines shows that it is in tune with the most advanced scientific and philosophical thought of the West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/an-examination-of-indian-vedic-doctrines-shows-that-it-is-in-tune/) Sir John Woodroffe > [A Mantra is composed of certain letters arranged in definite sequence of sounds, of which the letters are the representative signs. To produce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/a-mantra-is-composed-of-certain-letters-arranged-in-definite-sequence/) Sir John Woodroffe Explore all 3 Sir John Woodroffe quotes ## More Obscenity quotes > [It's true that obscenity is a matter of taste and in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-true-that-obscenity-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-in-the-eye-of-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [That which attempts to elevate the ugly to the level of beauty becomes neither; but an obscenity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/that-which-attempts-to-elevate-the-ugly-to-the-level-of-beauty/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [“No more peeping through keyholes! No more mas turbating in the dark! No more public confessions! Unscrew the doors from their jambs! I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/no-more-peeping-through-keyholes-no-more-mas-turbating-in-the-dark-no/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“They told me I was not to draw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-diana/they-told-me-i-was-not-to-draw/) Mike Diana > [There is something powerful in the whispering of obscenities, about those in power. There's something delightful about it, something naughty, secretive, forbidden, thrilling. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-something-powerful-in-the-whispering-of-obscenities-about/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Whether my acting was obscene, or whether it was distasteful, well, Judge Rehnquist, who just recently passed away couldn't define pornography. His comment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reems/whether-my-acting-was-obscene-or-whether-it-was-distasteful-well/) [Harry Reems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reems/) > [Slavery is an obscenity. It is not just stealing someone's labor; it is the theft of an entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-an-obscenity-it-is-not-just-stealing-someone-s-labor-it-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Since obscenity is the truth of our passion today, it is the only stuff of art -- or almost the only stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/since-obscenity-is-the-truth-of-our-passion-today-it-is-the-only/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Sex and obscenity are not synonymous. Obscene material is material which deals with sex in a manner appealing to prurient interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sex-and-obscenity-are-not-synonymous-obscene-material-is-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This is not sadly, today being promoted obscenity in the name of modernity, and, sadly is that, younger generation are happily assimilated are pornography,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/this-is-not-sadly-today-being-promoted-obscenity-in-the-name-of/) Mak\_786 > [What good is an obscenity trial except to popularize literature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/what-good-is-an-obscenity-trial-except-to-popularize-literature/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [When you can use dirty words in every situation with everyone, that's a real big liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-wertmuller/when-you-can-use-dirty-words-in-every-situation-with-everyone-that-s/) [Lina Wertmuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-wertmuller/) > [The nowadays ruling that no word is unprintable has, I think, done nothing whatever for beautiful letters. ... Obscenity is too valuable a commodity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-nowadays-ruling-that-no-word-is-unprintable-has-i-think-done/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [Obscenity is a moral concept in the verbal arsenal of the establishment, which abuses the term by applying it, not to expressions of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/obscenity-is-a-moral-concept-in-the-verbal-arsenal-of-the/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) [Browse all 141 Obscenity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Western people often see obscenity where there is only symbolism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sir John Woodroffe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/western-people-often-see-obscenity-where-there-is-only-symbolism/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Obscenity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/western-people-often-see-obscenity-where-there-is-only-symbolism/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/sir-john-woodroffe-79871_obscenity_western-people-often-see-obscenity-where_100516.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Western people often see obscenity where there is only symbolism.” — Sir John Woodroffe", "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": "Sir John Woodroffe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-john-woodroffe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Western people often see obscenity where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/western-people-often-see-obscenity-where-there-is-only-symbolism/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-john-woodroffe/western-people-often-see-obscenity-where-there-is-only-symbolism/#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 } } ] } ```