Herta Muller Quotes

Even if the country is run by a Mussolini, free speech will find its way.

The oppression of any people for opinion's sake has rarely had any other effect than to fix those opinions deeper, and render them more important.

My books were attacked constantly by the Communist Party for not hewing to the Party line. I have never hewed to a Party line of any kind.

Censorship is a strange situation. There was times when people would burn books because they didn't like what people were doing.

I mean, they censor your work when they're scared of it.

Every time you touch those who have power over the media, they seek to stop you.

What progress we are making. In the Middle Ages they would have burned me. Now they are content with burning my books.

You work your butt off and somebody says you can't have your record played because it offends them. Tyrants are made of such stuff.

The questioning is a stupid formality aimed exclusively at preventing us from speaking at the demonstration.

Telling writers to shut up is a sure way to keep them talking.

Thought that is silenced is always rebellious.

Only the suppressed word is dangerous.

People are hung sometimes for speaking the truth.

Many who tried to enlighten were hanged from the lamppost.

Suppressing ideas never makes them go away.

Every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side.

When the prison, stake or scaffold can no longer silence the voice of the protesting minority, progress moves on a step, but not until then.

People like to quiet the speech of others.

Every burned book enlightens the world.

Locking up dissenters does not reduce dissent - it fosters it.

My ideas are threatening to the government.

It would be a tragedy for democracy if dissent goes away.

Once you start choking the space for dissent in a democracy, people feel pushed to the wall and then it leads to further dissent and alienation.

You can destroy those who speak the truth, but you cannot destroy the truth itself

Let us refuse to be silent! Speaking freely is a decisive step forward on the road to freedom.