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Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest art of all the arts. Painting and sculpture are but images, Are merely shadows cast by outward things On stone or canvas, having in themselves No separate existence. Architecture, Existing in itself, and not in seeming A something it is not, surpasses them As substance shadow.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Building is the highest form of art, transcending other creative expressions like painting and sculpture.

In this quote, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow emphasizes the distinction between architecture and other forms of art. He argues that while painting and sculpture are representations of external realities, architecture is unique in that it is a tangible and self-sufficient creation that embodies both form and function, making it the noblest of all artistic endeavors.

Themes

ArchitectureArtBuildingCreationNobility

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about cultural heritage, one might say, 'Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest art of all the arts.'

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In the long run men hit only what they aim at.
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