The most important lesson in the writing trade is that any manuscript is improved if you cut away the fat.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
A great artist can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is ... and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be ... more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo see that this lovely young girl is still alive
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that a true artist can capture the essence of a person, revealing their beauty and past within their current form.
Heinlein's quote emphasizes the transformative power of art, illustrating how an artist can transcend surface appearances and evoke deeper emotions and memories in the viewer. By portraying an elderly woman while highlighting her youthful beauty, the artist fosters a connection that prompts others to appreciate timeless beauty and the complexity of human experience.
Themes
ArtBeautyAgingPerceptionEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
During an art exhibition, this quote can be introduced to provoke thought about how art reflects deeper truths.
More from Robert A. Heinlein
All quotes →An armed society is a polite society.
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Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried.
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Long human words (the longer the better) were easy, unmistakable, and rarely changed their meanings . . . but short words were slippery, unpredictable, changing their meanings without any pattern.
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Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things.
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When a place gets crowded enough to require ID's, social collapse is not far away. It is time to go elsewhere. The best thing about space travel is that it made it possible to go elsewhere.
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