A man can say anything, he mustn’t do anything

Here we have the beautiful British compromise: a man can say anything, he mustn’t do anything; a man can listen to anything, but he mustn’t be roused to do anything. By freedom of speech is meant freedom to talk about; speech is not saying-as-an-action.

Paul Goodman (191 1-72), U.S. literary author, critic. “Censorship and Pornography on the Stage,” lecture, pt. 2 (1959; published in Creator Spirit Come, 1977).