As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
William ShakespeareRead
This is a gift that I have, simple, simple; a foolish extravagant spirit full of forms, figures, shapes, objects, ideas, apprehensions, motions, revolutions; these are begot in the ventricle of memory, nourished in the womb of pia mater, and delivered upon the mellowing of occasion.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the complexity and richness of creativity, describing how ideas are formed and expressed.
In this quote by William Shakespeare, the speaker expresses the intricate and almost mysterious nature of creative thought. The use of vivid imagery like 'ventricle of memory' and 'womb of pia mater' suggests that creativity is deeply rooted in memory and thought processes, nourished and birthed in moments of inspiration. It implies that artistic expression is a spontaneous and abundant gift, brimming with diverse ideas and forms.
In practice
In a speech about art and creativity at a local gallery opening.
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, / I must not look to have; but, in their stead, / Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath, / Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not" (5.3.25-28).
Love bears it out even to the edge of doom.
Good company, good wine, good welcome, can make good people.
Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.
Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
Give it an understanding, but no tongue.
In poetry everything which must be said is almost impossible to say well.
Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
I'm a frotteur, someone who likes to rub words in his hand, to turn them around and feel them, to wonder if that really is the best word possible.
Weaknesses have a certain function in a poem... some strategy in order to pave the reader's way to the impact of this or that line.
You can always make a film somehow. You can beg, borrow, steal the equipment, use credit cards, use your friends' goodwill, wheedle your way into this or that situation. The real problem is, how do you get people to see it once it is made?
Genius creates, and taste preserves. Taste is the good sense of genius; without taste, genius is only sublime folly.
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