Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed.

The line comes from Eisenhower’s 1953 Dartmouth College commencement address, where he argued against censorship and the impulse to remove controversial ideas from libraries. He urged people to confront troubling or opposing viewpoints directly rather than trying to erase them from public access.

Eisenhower’s point is that suppressing books or records doesn’t eliminate wrongdoing or error; it only hides the evidence and weakens society’s ability to learn, judge, and respond. Open access to information is presented as a safeguard against ignorance and manipulation.

“Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal faults by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book as long as any document does not offend our own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship.”

“Don’t join the book banners.”