---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The function of the censor is to censor…"
description: "\"The function of the censor is to censor. He has a professional interest in finding things to suppress.\" — Thomas I. Emerson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/thomas-i-emerson-53459_censorship_the-function-of-the-censor-is-to-censor_1921541.jpg"
---

#  The function of the censor is to censor. He has a…

![“The function of the censor is to censor. He has a professional interest in finding things to suppress.” quote by Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/thomas-i-emerson-53459_censorship_the-function-of-the-censor-is-to-censor_1921541.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/thomas-i-emerson-53459_censorship_the-function-of-the-censor-is-to-censor_1921541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/thomas-i-emerson-53459_censorship_the-function-of-the-censor-is-to-censor_1921541.jpg)

> “The function of the censor is to censor. He has a professional interest in finding things to suppress.”

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The censor’s role is self‑serving, focusing on suppressing rather than informing.

**In simple terms:** Censors suppress for personal gain.

Key Takeaway

Question motives behind censorship.

Themes

power control media

Mood

skeptical critical

Type

analytical critical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- newsrooms
- online platforms
- academic research

Key Concepts

self‑interest information suppression

Questions to Reflect On

- Who decides what is suppressed?
- Is suppression ever justified?

A Different Perspective

Censors may claim protection of public morals.

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[Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) [Censor Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor-censor-2953550/) [Censor Professional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor-professional-2953549/) [Censorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censorship/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-censor-2953551/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Things Suppress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-suppress-2953552/)

## Related quotes

> [A lot of times, we censor ourselves before the censor even gets there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/a-lot-of-times-we-censor-ourselves-before-the-censor-even-gets-there/)

[Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/)

> [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 Thomas I. Emerson

> [The right to freedom of expression is justified first of all as the right of an individual purely in his capacity as an individual.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/the-right-to-freedom-of-expression-is-justified-first-of-all-as-the/)

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

> [The Right of all members of society to form their own beliefs and communicate them freely to others must be regarded as an essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/the-right-of-all-members-of-society-to-form-their-own-beliefs-and/)

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

> [It is frequently said that speech that is intentionally provocative and therefore invites physical retaliation can be punished or suppressed. Yet, plainly no such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/it-is-frequently-said-that-speech-that-is-intentionally-provocative/)

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

> [Suppression of expression conceals the real problems confronting a society and diverts public attention from the critical issues. It is likely to result in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/suppression-of-expression-conceals-the-real-problems-confronting-a/)

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

> [Once one accepts the premise of the Declaration of Independence - that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed" -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-i-emerson/once-one-accepts-the-premise-of-the-declaration-of-independence-that/)

[Thomas I. Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

[Explore all 6 Thomas I. Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-i-emerson/)

## 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/)

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