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Great art is indefinable but that's all right; it exists anyway.
Edward Abbey
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Great art cannot be fully defined, but its existence is undeniable.

This quote by Edward Abbey suggests that the essence of art transcends definitions and rigid interpretations. Great art evokes emotions, challenges perceptions, and exists independently of constraints, highlighting the importance of its influence and impact in the world, regardless of how one might try to categorize it.

Themes

ArtIndefinableExistenceAbstractionCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

In an art class discussing the nature of creativity, this quote can inspire students to think beyond traditional definitions of art.

More from Edward Abbey

Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
I love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
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If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead

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