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The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.

Ai Weiwei

I saw [Allen Ginsberg] more as an old man who liked poetry and who had a lot of physical and emotional problems. We liked our time together.
AI WEIWEI

Emotion Emotional Man More Old Physical Poetry Problem Together
We move so fast that memory is something we can only grasp
AI WEIWEI

Grasp Memories Move Moving Something
Society becomes very destructive.
AI WEIWEI

Destructive Society
Democracy, material wealth, and universal education are the soil upon which modernism exists.
AI WEIWEI

Democracy Education Material Soil Universal Wealth
How to become a really modern society when today we are so – as a human being, we feel so powerful. We have high technology and a superb way of controlling our life. And at the same time, in many ways we are so primitive.
AI WEIWEI

Being Feel Human Modern Powerful Society Technology Understanding
Everyone of us is a potential convict.
AI WEIWEI

Convict Everyone Potential
The intention to separate art from politics is itself a very political intention.
AI WEIWEI

Intension Intention Political Politics Separate
I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist.
AI WEIWEI

Artist Cities New York
I loved New York — every inch of it. It was a little bit scary at that time, but still, the excitement was so strong — visually and intellectually. It was like a monster.
AI WEIWEI

Bit Country Excitement Inch Little Scary Strong Time
I think everybody deserves freedom. Freedom is such an abstract word, but it’s all we need.
AI WEIWEI

Abstract Art Everybody Freedom Need Thinking
I never think any place is better than others.
AI WEIWEI

Better Place Think Thinking
We literally lived underground. We dug a hole and lived there for years. My father cleaned public toilets, even though he was a highly respected poet.
AI WEIWEI

Cleaned Highly Hole Literally Lived Poet Respected Toilet Underground Yera
Even though everybody who looked at me would call me a Chinese artist, that’s the 1980s. New York in the ’80s was not so interesting.
AI WEIWEI

Artist Encouragement New York
You start to see the society, how it functions, how it works. Then you have a lot of criticism about how it works.
AI WEIWEI

Criticism Function Money Society Star Turn Work
I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions.
AI WEIWEI

Art Certainty Creative Extend Idea Imagination Thinking
I think it’s quite narrow-minded. There wasn’t much encouragement or opportunities for any artist – not just Chinese artists.
AI WEIWEI

Artist Country Encouragement Minded Narrow Opportunities Think

The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.

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The freedom of speech is an important yardstick for a society’s level of civilization.

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