"Censorship always defeats it own purpose, for it creates in the end the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion"

This quote by Henry Steele Commager speaks to the futility of censorship. By trying to manage what individuals can and can not see, censorship eventually produces a society that is not able to make its own decisions. This is due to the fact that censorship limits the quantity of details available to individuals, avoiding them from forming their own viewpoints and making their own choices. As an outcome, people end up being reliant on the censorship to make choices for them, leading to a society that is not able to think for itself. This quote acts as a warning against censorship, as it can lead to a society that is unable to make its own decisions and is instead reliant on the censorship to make decisions for them.