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

Ai Weiwei

The IT people who have made such an effort to know and understand computer technology. They are frustrated that you cannot use Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in China. They are the first to recognize that the situation is terrible.
AI WEIWEI

Computer Effort People Technology Understand
Of course, people will call you an old artist or young artist, which is just a character of you.
AI WEIWEI

Art Artist Character Course People Thinking
We’re different, and you’re dangerous.” That kind of thinking stops human, civilized evolution. It’s dangerous to create that kind of tension.
AI WEIWEI

Civilized Create Dangerous Different Human Stop Tension Thinking
There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.
AI WEIWEI

Dictatorship Graceful Outdoor Sport Sports Stone Throwing
It also makes humanity much more safe. If we see pureness somewhere as something to be desired, the trouble starts.
AI WEIWEI

Desire Humanity Make Pureness Safe Something Trouble
Mass production is nothing new. Weren’t cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?
AI WEIWEI

Cathedral Hand Mass People Production Pyramid
A historical property has morals and ethics of the society that created it and it can be revived. What I mean is that we can discover new possibilities from the process of dismantling, transforming, and recreating.
AI WEIWEI

Created Ethics Historical Mean Moral Revived Society
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 only way to avoid misunderstanding, war and bloodshed is to defend freedom of expression and to communicate with sincerity, concern and good intentions.
AI WEIWEI

Avoid Belief Carrodes Denies Ignorant Mankind Minded Misunderstanding Narrow Warmth
Life is art. Art is life. I never separate it. I don’t feel that much anger. I equally have a lot of joy.
AI WEIWEI

Anger Art Equality Express Joy Life Much Separate
You don’t have to march on Tiananmen, but you do have to be clear-minded, to find your own means of expression.
AI WEIWEI

Clear Expression March Mean Minded Own Tiananmen
I came back [to Beijing ] because that’s the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.
AI WEIWEI

Back Beijing Excuse Otherwise Reason Time
Everything is art. Everything is politics.
AI WEIWEI

Art Changing Everything Politics World
I also doubt a man can give really clear reasons for anything.
AI WEIWEI

Anything Clear Doubt Giving Man Really Reason
I think the pearls – one is a necklace, and another you have five hundred pounds of pearls, which may be one million pearls in a bowl – really show a kind of [society] condition.
AI WEIWEI

Another Five Hundred Million Necklace Pearl Pound Thinking
Say what you say plainly, and then take responsibility for it.
AI WEIWEI

Plainly Responsibility Responsible Taking

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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