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The hold person spell description specifies:
The subject becomes paralyzed and freezes in place. It is aware and breathes normally but cannot take any actions, even speech.
Really no action at all? Not even purely mental actions, such as maintaining concentration or casting a Quickened Spell?
I am asking since in the glossary the description of the paralyzed condition is not so harsh:
A paralyzed character cannot move, speak, or take any physical action. He is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Not even friends can move his limbs. He may take purely mental actions, such as casting a spell with no components.
So it would seem that paralysis from the hold stuff spell is more potent than "generic" paralysis.
I would probably interpret the "Hold Person" spell as simply causing the Paralyzed condition. The only way to prevent someone from taking mental actions is to lock them out entirely, but you can't be both aware of what's going on ("...is aware and breathes normally...") and not able to think (which is all a mental action takes), though the opposite is possible.
I'm not a big fan of reading the rules too literally.
EDIT: I don't think that quicken has anything to do with being able to cast a spell when paralyzed. If a player had a still + silent spell available, I'd let them cast that.
I tend to agree, but it would depend on the mental action. If the held person needed line of sight to maintain a spell for example, then he's out of luck.
I'm not a big fan of reading the rules too literally.
This will get you out of more trouble with the rules than anything. The spirit of the rules, like the spirit of the law, is what's most important and the rules are there to make for a fun game, not act as a straight jacket. :)
Hold person is intentionally more strict than a generic paralyze effect. Remember, it's an Enchantment (compulsion) [mind-effecting] spell. That means it paralyzes you by making you not want to do anything (or some other similar mental compulsion). The only action you can take while under its effect is the full-round action to get a new save.