8 Great Quotations About Porn

Strange as it may seem, the “P” section of our dusty old edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations does not contain a spread of pithy quotations about pornography (we checked “A” for adult entertainment, too, and came up empty once again). But some of the world’s greatest wits have had plenty to say on the subject. Here are some of our favorites . . .

“The fact is that it’s one of the few jobs for women where you can get to a certain level, look around, and feel so powerful, not just in the work environment but as a sexual being.” – Jenna Jameson

“The difference between pornography and erotica is lighting.” – Gloria Leonard

“Watching pornography [. . . ] is like going to a Wikipedia page. You search for a specific thing, a specific feeling, a specific result, and that’s exactly what you find.” – Meg Wolitzer

“I don’t know what the definition of pornography is and nobody else does either [. . .] People are interested in their own sexuality and they’ve always reflected it in their art.” – Erica Jong

“The way to get better pornography is to give pornographers better sex.” – John Preston

“Sex is the theory; porn is the practice.” – Mark Simpson

“I know it when I see it.” – Potter Stewart

“A dirty book is rarely dusty.” — Anonymous