--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A lot of times, we censor ourselves…" description: "\"A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.\" — Spike Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg" --- # A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even… ![“A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.” quote by Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg) > “A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.” [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often limit our own expression before any external censorship occurs. **In simple terms:** Self‑censorship happens before any outside control. Key Takeaway Allow yourself to speak freely first. Themes self‑expression freedom censorship Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - public speaking - media - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What topics do you avoid? - How can you overcome internal censorship? A Different Perspective Fear of judgment can still suppress honesty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) [Censor Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor-censor-2953550/) [Censor Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor-gets-4882900/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Lot Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-times-346350/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Times Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/times-censor-4882901/) ## Related quotes > [The function of the censor is to censor. He has a professional interest in finding things to suppress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/the-function-of-the-censor-is-to-censor-he-has-a-professional/) [Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/) > [After you produce you can select. you can curate. you can censor. But for now, have bad ideas, lots and lots of bad ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/after-you-produce-you-can-select-you-can-curate-you-can-censor-but/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I never make moral judgments; I'm not qualified to do so. I am not a censor, a priest, or a politician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-never-make-moral-judgments-i-m-not-qualified-to-do-so-i-am-not-a/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [“Like water leaking slowly through a dike to become a steady trickle or a flood, words and ideas inexorably elude the censor's grasp. (Banned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bald/like-water-leaking-slowly-through-a-dike-to-become-a-steady-trickle/) [Margaret Bald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bald/) > [I think there are ways in which we censor ourselves; that's the most dangerous kind of censorship - that's how hegemony works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-think-there-are-ways-in-which-we-censor-ourselves-that-s-the-most/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Censorship is not an occupation that attracts intelligent, subtle minds. Censors can and often have been outwitted. But the game of slipping Aesopian messages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/censorship-is-not-an-occupation-that-attracts-intelligent-subtle/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [If we say Facebook doesn't agree with our rules in our country we are going to stop Facebook in our country. We censor a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sunde/if-we-say-facebook-doesn-t-agree-with-our-rules-in-our-country-we-are/) [Peter Sunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sunde/) > [Words alone can rarely justify censorship. If we censor words themselves without looking at the context, we could shut down much of the entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-walczak/words-alone-can-rarely-justify-censorship-if-we-censor-words/) [Witold Walczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-walczak/) > [“I struggle each day not to let the fear of the censor poison my writing. Where the censor rules, a dull sameness creeps into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mazer/i-struggle-each-day-not-to-let-the-fear-of-the-censor-poison-my/) [Harry Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mazer/) > [“To be clear, Goodreads staff have not been deleting any posts. A value we've always had here is that we don't censor content (unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/to-be-clear-goodreads-staff-have-not-been-deleting-any-posts-a-value/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you're afraid to the point where you censor yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-think-the-enemy-is-self-censorship-in-a-free-society-the-biggest/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granville-hicks/a-censor-is-a-man-who-knows-more-than-he-thinks-you-ought-to/) [Granville Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granville-hicks/) > [Censorship makes me really angry. I even hate it when people censor themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/censorship-makes-me-really-angry-i-even-hate-it-when-people-censor/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [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/) ## More by Spike Lee > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [A spine to my films that's become more evident to me is that many are about the choices people make, and the reverberations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-spine-to-my-films-that-s-become-more-evident-to-me-is-that-many-are/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I am very fortunate I can send my kids to private school, but everybody does not have the money. If you cannot get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-am-very-fortunate-i-can-send-my-kids-to-private-school-but/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I really don't deal with hypotheticals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-really-don-t-deal-with-hypotheticals/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I've never seen black men with fine white women. They be ugly. Mugly dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-ve-never-seen-black-men-with-fine-white-women-they-be-ugly-mugly/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I may have been born yesterday, but I stayed up all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-may-have-been-born-yesterday-but-i-stayed-up-all-night/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I consider Madonna a friend, and she sure knows how to work the publicity machine. Of course, I don't have breasts. If I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-consider-madonna-a-friend-and-she-sure-knows-how-to-work-the/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [If you can't take a hit, you're not going to last long, that's for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/if-you-can-t-take-a-hit-you-re-not-going-to-last-long-that-s-for-sure/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [America doesn't have the moral right to tell other people what to do. To say the whole world has to fall into line is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/america-doesn-t-have-the-moral-right-to-tell-other-people-what-to-do/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I'm worried just as much about Donald Trump as that crazy guy in North Korea - and he has a nuclear code. I'm worrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-m-worried-just-as-much-about-donald-trump-as-that-crazy-guy-in/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I think the best actors in the world are here in New York City. And this city is just so vibrant the energy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-think-the-best-actors-in-the-world-are-here-in-new-york-city-and/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [People sometimes forget all the films that we've done. They remember the likes of 'Malcolm X' and 'Do the Right Thing.' But I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/people-sometimes-forget-all-the-films-that-we-ve-done-they-remember/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I ain't Martin Luther King. I don't need a dream. I have a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-ain-t-martin-luther-king-i-don-t-need-a-dream-i-have-a-plan/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/any-film-i-do-is-not-going-to-change-the-way-black-women-have-been/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [I think if people looked at my body of work, they'd see a great breadth of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/i-think-if-people-looked-at-my-body-of-work-they-d-see-a-great/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) [Explore all 141 Spike Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) ## More Censor quotes > [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/) > [Satire that the censor understands is rightly censored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/satire-that-the-censor-understands-is-rightly-censored/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Any test that turns on what is offensive to the community's standards is too loose, too capricious, too destructive of freedom of expression to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/any-test-that-turns-on-what-is-offensive-to-the-community-s-standards/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [Censorship makes me really angry. I even hate it when people censor themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/censorship-makes-me-really-angry-i-even-hate-it-when-people-censor/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granville-hicks/a-censor-is-a-man-who-knows-more-than-he-thinks-you-ought-to/) [Granville Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granville-hicks/) > [“Pick a leader who will keep jobs in your country by offering companies incentives to hire only within their borders, not one who allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/pick-a-leader-who-will-keep-jobs-in-your-country-by-offering/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [A performance art piece is unprecedented. It is difficult to censor since it has a good possibility of never being done before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/a-performance-art-piece-is-unprecedented-it-is-difficult-to-censor/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [I think the enemy is self-censorship. In a free society the biggest danger is that you're afraid to the point where you censor yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-think-the-enemy-is-self-censorship-in-a-free-society-the-biggest/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [Film is such a powerful medium. It's like a weapon and I think you have a duty to self-censor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/film-is-such-a-powerful-medium-it-s-like-a-weapon-and-i-think-you/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Metellus Numidicus, the censor, acknowledged to the Roman people, in a public oration, that had kind nature allowed us to exist without the help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/metellus-numidicus-the-censor-acknowledged-to-the-roman-people-in-a/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [“To be clear, Goodreads staff have not been deleting any posts. A value we've always had here is that we don't censor content (unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otis-y-chandler/to-be-clear-goodreads-staff-have-not-been-deleting-any-posts-a-value/) [Otis Y. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otis-y-chandler/) > [One could think of ways to defeat the censor. I could put up the answers on my Facebook page or website or Counterpunch. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/one-could-think-of-ways-to-defeat-the-censor-i-could-put-up-the/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [“I struggle each day not to let the fear of the censor poison my writing. Where the censor rules, a dull sameness creeps into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mazer/i-struggle-each-day-not-to-let-the-fear-of-the-censor-poison-my/) [Harry Mazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mazer/) > [Words alone can rarely justify censorship. If we censor words themselves without looking at the context, we could shut down much of the entertainment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-walczak/words-alone-can-rarely-justify-censorship-if-we-censor-words/) [Witold Walczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-walczak/) > [An actor cannot be a censor. I'm there to interpret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-mcdowell/an-actor-cannot-be-a-censor-i-m-there-to-interpret/) [Malcolm McDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-mcdowell/) [Browse all 167 Censor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Spike Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-before-the-censor-even-gets-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-before-the-censor-even-gets-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/spike-lee-3057_positive_a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-befor_1396618.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.” — Spike Lee", "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": "Spike Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A lot of times, we censor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-before-the-censor-even-gets-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-before-the-censor-even-gets-there/#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 } } ] } ```