What is character but the determination of incident? What is incident but the illustration of character?
Henry JamesRead
The deepest quality of a work of art will always be the quality of the mind of the producer...No good novel will ever proceed from a superficial mind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The value of art is directly linked to the depth of thought of its creator.
Henry James emphasizes that the richness and depth of any artistic creation, such as a novel, are reflections of the intellect and depth of understanding possessed by its creator. Without a profound mind, the quality of art will always be lacking, suggesting that true creativity stems from thoughtful engagement with human experiences and ideas.
Themes
ArtQualityMindNovelCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a discussion about the importance of deep thinking in creative writing.
More from Henry James
All quotes βNever say you know the last word about any human heart.
Henry JamesRead
I adore adverbs; they are the only qualifications I really much respect.
Henry JamesRead
We care what happens to people only in proportion as we know what people are.
Henry JamesRead
A swift carriage, of a dark night, rattling with four horses over roads that one canβt see--thatβs my idea of happiness.
Henry JamesRead
Of course what he most intensely dreams of is being taken out on walks, and the more you are able to indulge him the more will he adore you and the more all the latent beauty of his nature will come out.
Henry JamesRead
Similar quotes
I'm tempted to say, 'Writing treatments is like designing a film by hiring six million monkeys to tear out pages of an encyclopedia, then you put the pages through a paper-shredder, randomly grab whatever intact lines are left, sing them in Italian to a Spanish deaf-mute, and then make story decisions with the guy via conference call.' But no... compared to writing treatments, that makes sense, too.
Terry RossioRead
Music makes me forget myself, my true condition, it carries me off into another state of being, one that isn't my own.
Leo TolstoyRead
Music will never go away, and I will never stop making music; it's just what capacity or what arena you decide to do it.
Dave GrohlRead
Chess is something more than a game. It is an intellectual diversion which has certain artistic qualities and many scientific elements.
Jose Raul CapablancaRead
I'm a rewriter. That's the part I like best . . . once I have a pile of paper to work with, it's like having the pieces of a puzzle. I just have to put the pieces together to make a picture.
Judy BlumeRead
Music has no effect on research work, but both are born of the same source and complement each other through the satisfaction they bestow
Albert EinsteinRead