An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind. It is not satisfied with explanation, with conclusions. Nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.
Bruce LeeRead
Art is the way to the absolute and to the essence of human life. The aim of art is not the one-sided promotion of spirit, soul and senses, but the opening of all human capacities – thought, feeling, will – to the life rhythm of the world of nature. So will the voiceless voice be heard and the self be brought into harmony with it.
Interpretation
Art connects us to the essence of life by harmonizing our inner selves with the rhythm of nature.
This quote by Bruce Lee emphasizes that art serves a profound purpose beyond mere aesthetic pleasure; it is a pathway to understanding the core of human existence. By engaging with art, we unlock all aspects of our humanity—our thoughts, feelings, and will—and align ourselves with the natural world, fostering a deeper resonance and harmony within ourselves and our surroundings.
In practice
In an art class, I quoted Bruce Lee to inspire students to explore their creativity without limits.
An intelligent mind is an inquiring mind. It is not satisfied with explanation, with conclusions. Nor is it a mind that believes, because belief is again another form of conclusion.
There’s only one basic principle of self-defense- you must apply the most effective weapon, as soon as possible, to the most vulnerable target.
Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there.
Do not allow negative thoughts to enter your mind for they are the weeds that strange confidence.
More and more I believe in the fact that you have two hands and two legs, and the thing is how to make good use of yourself - and that's about it.
Because one does not want to be disturbed, to be made uncertain, he establishes a pattern of conduct, of thought, a pattern of relationships to man. He then becomes a slave to the pattern and takes the pattern to be the real thing.
When a poem is really finished, you can't change anything. You can't move words around. You can't say, 'In other words, you mean.' No, that's not it. There are no other words in which you mean it. This is it.
I don't care if the audience is 600 Saul Bellows; I'm going to knock them dead with a comedy routine. I'm out there as a missionary for literature because, if people laugh and enjoy themselves, they might actually do something as bizarre as reading the book.
Beauty is a key to the mystery and a call to transcendence. It is an invitation to savor life and to dream of the future. That is why the beauty of created things can never fully satisfy. It stirs that hidden nostalgia for God which a lover of beauty like Saint Augustine could express in incomparable terms: 'Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new: late have I loved you!'.
The history of jazz lets us know that this period in our history is not the only period we've come through together. If we truly understood the history of our national arts, we'd know that we have mutual aspirations, a shared history, in good times and bad.
For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry.
Music is always a commentary on society.
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