48 ‘Cancel Culture’ Quotes Both from Supporters and Opponents

Cancel culture has become a hotly debated topic in recent years, with some arguing that holding people accountable for their actions is necessary. In contrast, others see it as a free speech and expression threat. Here are 48 cancel culture quotes from supporters and opponents that shed light on the controversy.

Cancel culture refers to calling for a public boycott, shaming, or other forms of social ostracism of individuals or groups who express controversial opinions or engage in perceived offensive behavior. Canceling can take various forms, such as boycotting a company, demanding an apology, calling for an individual's firing, or de-platforming on social media.

Supporters of cancel culture argue that it is a necessary tool to hold people accountable for their actions and to promote social justice by challenging systemic oppression and discrimination. Opponents of cancel culture, however, claim that it stifles free speech and fosters intolerance by creating a culture of fear where individuals are hesitant to express their opinions or engage in controversial discussions.

The debate surrounding cancel culture is complex, with arguments and counter-arguments from both sides. Overall, cancel culture is highly contentious, with advocates and detractors disagreeing on its effectiveness, fairness, and potential impact on society and free speech. Read these 48 cancel culture quotes to learn what both sides of the debate have to say.

Deon Cole's quote: "Cancel culture is horrendous." | Source: AmoDays

'Cancel Culture' Quotes from Supporters of the 'Woke' Activism

"Cancel culture is a term bounced around by people afraid of accountability. But freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences." ― Monisha Rajesh

"The term 'cancel culture' is a right-wing American term. It's a term crafted to gaslight and vilify changing progressive voice. There's no such thing as 'cancel culture.' It's 'consequence culture.'" ― Annastacia Dickerson

"I try not to cancel people. But at some point, we got to stand up and say, hey, right is right, wrong is wrong." ― Rex Chapman

"Cancel culture is a real thing. Your digital footprint is your legacy, so think before you post." ― Germany Kent

Monisha Rajesh's quote: "Cancel culture is a term bounced around by people afraid of accountability. But freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences." | Source: AmoDays

'Cancel Culture' Quotes from the Opponents

"People have gone down this spiral of cancel culture and the idea that everything is offensive." ― Bianca Del Rio

"I refuse to bow to the cancel mob." ― Lauren Boebert

"A cancel culture is people who have failed in life. People who failed to accomplish anything good. People who have failed to be themselves and to accept themselves. There is no successful person, Who can try to take away someone's plate or who can try to destroy what someone has built, because they know what does it take to accomplish and to achieve something." ― De philosopher DJ Kyos

"It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential. Every joke has a victim. That's the definition of a joke. Someone or something or an idea is made to look ridiculous." — Rowan Atkinson

Bianca Del Rio's quote: "People have gone down this spiral of cancel culture and the idea that everything is offensive." | Source: AmoDays

"Good luck trying to cancel me." ― Logan Paul

"Cancel culture has always been an issue. I mean, if you look at the Book of Genesis, Cain canceled Abel. This has always been an issue, the 'I don't like you, I don't like what you're doing, I don't like the attention that you're getting, so you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't have a voice. You shouldn't have a movement.'" ― Lauren Boebert

"Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture. There were articles written about why comedies don't work anymore — I'll tell you why, because all the [...] funny guys are like [...] I don't want to offend you.' It's hard to argue with 30 million people on Twitter. You just can't do it, right? So you just go, 'I'm out.' I'm out, and you know what? With all my comedies — I think that what comedies, in general, all have in common — is they're irreverent. So I go, 'How do I do something irreverent, but [...] comedy? Oh, I know, let's take the comic book movie universe and turn it on its head with this.' And so that's really where that came from." — Todd Phillips

"It's dangerous when you start telling people they can't have an opinion on something. And, you know, you don't cancel someone, you engage with someone." ― Alan Carr

Logan Paul's quote: "Good luck trying to cancel me." | Source: AmoDays

"Disagreement is necessary in deliberations among mortals. As the saying goes, the more we disagree, the more chance there is that at least one of us is right." ― Steven Pinker

"I am a Christian. I have deep faith... They thought they canceled Jesus, but you can't cancel God." ― Lauren Boebert

"A lot of people say there's no such thing as cancel culture and then you name an example and they're, like, 'That person deserved it,' so then there is cancel culture, but it works in its accountability." ― Thomas Chatterton Williams

"Perhaps the most common argument against the advocates of cancel culture is that they're lame and uncreative―and I think they generally are." ― Kat Timpf

Lauren Boebert's quote: "I am a Christian. I have deep faith... They thought they canceled Jesus, but you can't cancel God." | Source: AmoDays

"The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms..." ― Anne Applebaum

"Woke and cancel culture are both signs of a judgmental culture, not a mentally mature one. A world where you cannot even speak to another person without worrying about what they are going to think of you, has not advanced much from the days when the white people used to own slaves. Let me tell you this, if you are kind, if you are compassionate, if you hold no discrimination towards people whatsoever, then you have no reason to worry about whether you are woke enough." ― Abhijit Naskar

"It's easier to cancel a show if it's expensive." ― Louis C. K.

"There would be millions of people who if you looked closely enough at their personal life you would disqualify them. You can't ban people. I hate cancel culture. It has become quite hysterical and there's a kind of witch-hunt and a lack of understanding." — Helena Bonham Carter

Anne Applebaum's quote: "The so-called cancel culture on the Internet, the extremism that sometimes flares up on university campuses and newsrooms..." | Source: AmoDays

"The cancel culture is a radicalized stance based on the insecurities of an agenda that is too weak to entertain anything other than its own indefensible platform." ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

"It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgment based on what essentially amounts to polluted air. It's so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe. It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It's not just me that this has happened to, it's happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Children have suffered from various types of unpleasantries. Sadly at a certain point, they begin to think that it's normal. Or that it's them. When it's not." — Johnny Depp

"I can't believe they would cancel 'Big Brother!' It's like an institution! " ― Jonathan Cheban

"I was bullied by Subhash Ghai. He even took me to the court and wanted me to cancel my first show. It was quite stressful. He sent a message to all the producers that nobody should work with me." ― Mahima Chaudhry

Craig D. Lounsbrough's quote: "The cancel culture is a radicalized stance based on the insecurities of an agenda that is too weak to entertain anything other than its own indefensible platform." | Source: AmoDays

"Cancel Culture grows because we accept (and gluttonously consume) social violence. We no longer seek truth or both sides of a story. Whichever side is loudest, wins… regardless of its relationship to the truth." ― Steve Maraboli

"Cancel culture is horrendous." ― Deon Cole

"Cancel culture is not actually about justice. It is about control. People use cancellation to force conformity to ideals." ― Teal Swan

'Cancel Culture' Related Quotes

"Why should everything that happens be the entire world's business?" ― Philip Wyeth

"In recent years, the term 'woke' has been widely used to describe those who've attained doctrinal purity in regard to the social justice movement. While that movement is secular, it seems to fulfill many of the psycho-spiritual appetites once served by religion." ― Sky Gilbert

Teal Swan's quote: "Cancel culture is not actually about justice. It is about control. People use cancellation to force conformity to ideals." | Source: AmoDays

"Stated clearly enough, an idea may cancel itself out." ― Mason Cooley

"I think it's an oversimplification of somebody's worth to 'cancel' them. We're so quick to cancel but also so quick to lift somebody up as 'the queen,' 'the mom,' 'the dad,' 'the god.'" ― Hari Nef

"Never give up, which is the lesson I learned from boxing. As soon as you learn to never give up, you have to learn the power and wisdom of unconditional surrender and that one doesn't cancel out the other; they just exist as contradictions. The wisdom of it comes as you get older." ― Kris Kristofferson

"I try to cancel out every possibility of losing the fight, and this runs through my head all day long..." ― Nate Diaz

Mason Cooley's quote: "Stated clearly enough, an idea may cancel itself out." | Source: AmoDays

"Do I hate the speech? Or do I hate the truth within the speech?" ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

"When the purse strings tighten up at museums, the institutions usually cut back and cancel shows. That's exactly the wrong reaction. In fact, now is a good time for them to loosen up—a chance to breathe and experiment a little—and go for the juicy solution lurking in their own basements." ― Jerry Saltz

"Social media is the supreme triumph of the commonplace, the undiluted voice of the commonplace, the perfect means of viral transmission of the commonplace. All excellence is tracked down and exterminated. The commonplace infects everything. It grows like weeds everywhere and strangles all beautiful, exceptional flowers. All tall poppies are all cut down." ― Joe Dixon

"I don't want to cancel the South out in my life. I carry my Southernness with me. God knows, it's a great place to come from. It's also a place I had to get away from. It is just an endless world for me, so much culture and eccentricity." ― Holly Hunter

Craig D. Lounsbrough's quote: "Do I hate the speech? Or do I hate the truth within the speech?" | Source: AmoDays

"Once you consent to some concession, you can never cancel it and put things back the way they are." ― Howard Hughes

"Most of the abuse on social media is generated by narcissists." ― Wayne Gerard Trotman

"Yes, you can be passionate about school and fashion simultaneously. The two are not mutually exclusive - one doesn't cancel out the other." ― Marley Dias

Howard Hughes' quote: "Once you consent to some concession, you can never cancel it and put things back the way they are." | Source: AmoDays

The above quotes showcase a wide range of perspectives on cancel culture. Some supporters of "woke" activism argue that it does not exist or is a term used by people who do not want to be held accountable for their actions and statements.

On the other hand, opponents of cancel culture believe that it stifles free speech and creativity, is judgmental, and tears people down instead of building them up. Celebrities like Kat Timpf think they are lame and uncreative, while Johnny Depp believes it has gotten out of hand and no one is safe.

Some comedians and filmmakers argue that cancel culture has made it difficult for them to be creative and irreverent, as comedy often relies on offense. These quotes highlight the complexity of the cancel culture debate and the diversity of opinions. Read these Trent Shelton quotes to learn more about true power.