--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I didn't self-censor, I would be in…" description: "\"If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.\" — Yiyun Li" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg" --- # If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I… ![“If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.” quote by Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg) > “If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.” [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑censorship is presented as a protective measure that limits personal freedom and effectiveness. **In simple terms:** Self‑censorship limits impact. Key Takeaway Speak truthfully, even if risky. Themes censorship personal freedom effectiveness Mood cautious determined Type ethical motivational When to use this quote - public speaking - writing - activism - personal relationships Key Concepts authenticity risk expression Questions to Reflect On - When is self‑censorship justified? - What costs arise from speaking freely? A Different Perspective Self‑censorship may be necessary for safety in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor/) [Jail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail/) ## Related quotes > [There was an op-ed piece in The New York Times by an evolutionary biologist or somebody - which was a curious place for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/there-was-an-op-ed-piece-in-the-new-york-times-by-an-evolutionary/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [I'm sure even in America, where you have, like, free speech people self-censor themself. And it's not - it happens because of different reasons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/i-m-sure-even-in-america-where-you-have-like-free-speech-people-self/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [I do have a self-censor; everybody does, or at least most who are not pathological do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/i-do-have-a-self-censor-everybody-does-or-at-least-most-who-are-not/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [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/) > [I sort of have to self-censor sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-friedlander/i-sort-of-have-to-self-censor-sometimes/) [Judah Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-friedlander/) > [If I went to jail, at least I wouldn't have to sign autographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/if-i-went-to-jail-at-least-i-wouldn-t-have-to-sign-autographs/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [The more we oblige, the more we self-censor, the more we appease, the bolder the enemy gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/the-more-we-oblige-the-more-we-self-censor-the-more-we-appease-the/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [ We \[americans\] self-regulate ourselves, we self-censor ourselves a lot in this country instead of having someone else censor us so we can blame them.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/we-americans-self-regulate-ourselves-we-self-censor-ourselves-a-lot/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [What is occurring on college campuses is about power and control - speech is impeded as a last resort, used when people fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-weinstein/what-is-occurring-on-college-campuses-is-about-power-and-control/) [Bret Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-weinstein/) > [“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 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 > [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/) > [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/) > [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 Yiyun Li > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [One easy mistake to make with the first novel is to expand the short story. Some things are better as a story; you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/one-easy-mistake-to-make-with-the-first-novel-is-to-expand-the-short/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“sometimes Moran wondered if her chief merit was her willingness to serve as a human receptacle for details. Sympathy and admiration and surprise she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/sometimes-moran-wondered-if-her-chief-merit-was-her-willingness-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I always tell my students to go back after a hundred pages and rewrite from the beginning. It's really harder if you've already finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-always-tell-my-students-to-go-back-after-a-hundred-pages-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [She wonders if this is what people call falling in love, the desire to be with someone for every minute of the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/she-wonders-if-this-is-what-people-call-falling-in-love-the-desire-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [Some people in China don't look at freedom of speech as an abstract ideal, but more as a means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/some-people-in-china-don-t-look-at-freedom-of-speech-as-an-abstract/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I would never describe a cloud as 'fluffy'—in Chinese or in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-would-never-describe-a-cloud-as-fluffy-in-chinese-or-in-english/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“It saddened her that Luo insisted on holding on to her as if they had started to share some vital organs during their twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-saddened-her-that-luo-insisted-on-holding-on-to-her-as-if-they-had/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [To write about a struggle amidst the struggling: one must hope that the muddling will end someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/to-write-about-a-struggle-amidst-the-struggling-one-must-hope-that/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I think our eyes are trained to look for what we want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-think-our-eyes-are-trained-to-look-for-what-we-want-to-see/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [What is revolution except a systematic way for one species to eat another alive?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-is-revolution-except-a-systematic-way-for-one-species-to-eat/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“His mother had always been a headstrong woman, and with her grayish-white mane and unsmiling face, she appeared as regal and intimidating as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/his-mother-had-always-been-a-headstrong-woman-and-with-her-grayish/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [In China, your freedom is always limited, but this limitation applies to almost everyone. If someone does injustice to you, though, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/in-china-your-freedom-is-always-limited-but-this-limitation-applies/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [The boy will remain a son and never become a father. He will be forgotten by the crowd once his blood is rinsed clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/the-boy-will-remain-a-son-and-never-become-a-father-he-will-be/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [You can write about a country without taking a stand, but you cannot write about a country without noting that there's history, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/you-can-write-about-a-country-without-taking-a-stand-but-you-cannot/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) [Explore all 54 Yiyun Li quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## 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 > [“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 > [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 > [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 > [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": "If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yiyun Li" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-jail-and-then-i-wouldn-t-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Censor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-jail-and-then-i-wouldn-t-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a9a/yiyun-li-12305_quote_if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-ja_955392.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I didn't self-censor, I would be in jail, and then I wouldn't be effective at all.” — Yiyun Li", "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": "Yiyun Li", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I didn't self-censor, I would...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-jail-and-then-i-wouldn-t-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/if-i-didn-t-self-censor-i-would-be-in-jail-and-then-i-wouldn-t-be/#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 } } ] } ```