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No art ever survived censorship; no art ever will.
Oscar Wilde
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Censorship stifles creative expression and hinders the longevity of art.

Oscar Wilde’s quote emphasizes the idea that censorship ultimately undermines the very essence and survival of art. Art thrives on freedom of expression, and when it is subject to restrictions, its true value and impact can be lost, making it impossible for such works to flourish over time.

Themes

ArtCensorshipFreedomExpressionCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

During an art exhibition, a speaker may quote Wilde to highlight the importance of artistic freedom.

More from Oscar Wilde

Everything is dangerous, my dear fellow. If it wasn't so, life wouldn't be worth living.
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London is too full of fogs and serious people. Whether the fogs produce the serious people, or whether the serious people produce the fogs, I don't know.
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When one has never heard a man's name in the course of one's life, it speaks volumes for him; he must be quite respectable.
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Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.
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A truth ceases to be true when more than one person believes in it.
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His morality is all sympathy, just what morality should be
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