The Arts Quotes

“Poetry is dying first. It'll be absorbed into prose sooner or later.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beautiful and Damned

“I can't think of one great human being in the arts, or in history generally, who conformed, who succeeded, as educational experts tell us children must succeed, with his peer group...If a child in their classrooms does not succeed with his peer group, then it would seem to many that both child and teacher have failed. Have they? If we ever, God forbid, manage to make each child succeed with his peer group, we will produce a race of bland and faceless nonentities, and all poetry and mystery will vanish from the face of the earth.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, A Circle of Quiet

“The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of the nation, is close to the center of a nation's purpose - and is a test to the quality of a nation's civilization.”
― John F. Kennedy

“Most of the movies are working like, 'Information, cut, information, cut, information, cut' and for them the information is just the story. For me, a lot of things [are] information - I try to involve, to the movie, the time, the space, and a lot of other things - which is a part of our life but not connecting directly to the story-telling. And I'm working on the same way - 'information, cut, information, cut,' but for me the information is not only the story.”
― Béla Tarr

“I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty”
― John F. Kennedy

“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of a white lampshade looming on a wicker table, roused one to perpetual combat, challenged one to a fight in which one was bound to be worsted.”
― Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse

“Men and women in the creative arts should be free to express themselves, creatively, without interference from those who are without honor where having talent is concerned. ("Awesome Gang," 2018)”
― Cat Ellington

“If we truly believe in the power of cultural institutions to impact communities and engage authentically with social justice issues, if we believe in museums’ capacity to bring about social change, improve cultural awareness, and even transform the world, than we must also believe that our internal practices have an impact, and must act according to the changes we seek.”
― Monica O Montgomery

“If one loves Art at all, one must love it beyond all other things in the world.”
― Oscar Wilde, The Critic As Artist: With Some Remarks on the Importance of Doing Nothing and Discussing Everything

“I think drama has to push things to extremes so that we can understand what we are doing in our society.”
― Edward Bond

“...music inhabits and shapes every part of the life, not just emotional but physical too. This is not something that happens with other art forms, no? One does not typically read books or observe an abstract canvas while dancing or having sex—we can only think about them while doing these things, which is not the same because the art is not as present.”
― Holly Brickley, Deep Cuts

“Don't be dismayed by the opinions of editors, or critics. They are only the traffic cops of the arts.”
― Gene Fowler

“If our family was poor, of what did our poverty consist? If our clothes were torn the torn places only let in the sun and wind. In the winter we had no overcoats, but that only meant that we ran rather than loitered. Those who are to follow the arts should have a training in what is called poverty.”
― Sherwood Anderson, A Story Teller's Story

“I believe a writer is...the scribe-griot of his/her nation. S/he has the power to incite, ignite, excite, pacify, edify, motivate and eliminate others with the slash of a pen, click of a mouse or swipe of a finger. Though coloured by time, class, age, geography, childhood and other factors, a writer crystallises a slice of his/her society's culture, mores and its dark and light truths. A writer makes everything real.”
― Sandra Sealy

“The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.”
― Mae Jemison

“Everyone who is a comedian or an actor or a musician have many people who influenced them. They in turn influence others. It is a great thing that is handed down. We need to know our history because our art is created from the re-imaginings from our minds with the seeds of the greats who combined as a potpourri in our heads to create something new. You can see it in my stand up. You can hear it in the music of today”
― Johnny Corn

“Writing, I am convinced, is the least appreciated of all the creative arts. Only a miniscule portion of the population engages in sculpting or painting or composing but everyone writes - whether it be letters, invitations, shopping lists...It is not far-fetched, therefore, for anyone with a smattering of self-esteem to believe that if he or she had the time, and the desire, an acceptable book or article could be produced.”
― Og Mandino, The Choice: A Surprising New Message of Hope

“So pathetic," he said, with a grunt. "So sad. Such a cliche. You can be so fond of cinema, of world literature, the classics, but then, when you find yourself playing out a classic scene, you don't feel ennobled, linked to that greatness. You feel...pathetic.”
― David Cronenberg, Consumed

“Society without culture might as well be dead.”
― Demetra Brodsky

“Literature is the spirit of the Culture, the lifeblood. They’re one and the same. Words are everywhere. Storytelling is everywhere. Stories have been essential to human survival since prehistory: at their most base, they are how we communicate both threats and opportunities. They are how the subconscious sorts through problems as we rest; through the narratives that are dreams, we can go on and address life’s travails. Literature refines these functions, elevates them to the spiritual realm. That’s why words are so important, why literature is the highest art. Visual artworks, if not directly inspired by literature or telling their own stories, are still described in words. Dance is often performed as part of a story, and if not, is still described in words. The only thing that could conceivably rival it, as something unrelated, would be classical music, but even the masters in that field were often inspired by works in the Canon, and titled their compositions in words. Words give all things meaning. Stories are fundamental to the human experience.”
― A.D. Aliwat, In Limbo

“There is no ownership of creativity. Even though it tends to be primarily associated with the arts, creative thinking is found in many disciplines and areas of work.”
― Ellen Palestrant, Conversations About Creativity: Art, Writing, Music, Filmmaking, Theatre, Education, Science & the Synergy of Imagination

“The difference between science and the arts is not that they are different sides of the same coin even, or even different parts of the same continuum, but rather, they are manifestations of the same thing.”
― Mae Jemison

“In a similar way, the arts can act on God’s side by preserving beauty and drawing out the highest achievements capable by humans. The arts can help preserve and renew cultures, and this is a good thing in itself.”
― Steve Turner, Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts

“The secular mind frequently doesn’t face up to the full implications of its beliefs; art can provide a timely shock that results in a reassessment.”
― Steve Turner, Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts

“There is a need for wisdom in art. Shock, surprise, novelty, and innovation helped to grab attention but are not substantial in themselves.”
― Steve Turner, Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts

“A civilization cannot be a civilization without the arts. A great civilization is an art form of the highest order.”
― Makoto Fujimura, Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life

“Gleska! Some day when I'm in the key for't I'll mak a song aboot her. Here the triumphs o civilisation meet ye at the stair fit, and three bawbee mornin rolls can be had after six o'clock at nicht for a penny.

There's libraries scattered a ower the place; I ken, for I've seen them often, and the brass plate at the door tellin ye whit they are.

Art's a the go in Gleska too; there's something aboot it every ither nicht in the papers, when Lord Somebody-or-ither's no divorcin his wife, and takin up the space; and I hear there's hunders o pictures oot in yon place at Kelvingrove.

Theatres, concerts, balls, swarees, lectures - ony mortal thing ye like that'll keep ye oot o yer bed, ye'll get in Gleska if ye have the money to pay for't.”
― Neil Munro, Erchie, My Droll Friend

“I never chose to be an artist, it chose me. It would have been easier to have a normal job, but I didn’t want easier. I wanted authenticity. I wanted to honor my heart-songs.”
― Vanessa de Largie

“Commonalities, which need to be celebrated, exist among creative people – as they do in the sciences, the sports or in many other professions and areas of interest. These passionate junctions of communication, such as in the arts and sciences, transcend cultural boundaries and have enormous impact as unifying, creative exchanges – rendezvous without borders”
― Ellen Palestrant, A Fantasist & A Scientist In Conversation: Creativity, Imagination, and Scientific Verification

“Zeus wanted something that would bring healing to the people who had survived the war.
In my mind, there was nothing more healing to the soul than the written word, and music, and dance, and comedy, and inspiration. So that is why I decided to create." She looked them each in the eye. "I decided to create you. Each of you would bring joy through your own unique talents, while also singing Zeus's praises for saving the world from the Titans.”
― Farrah Rochon, Bemused