That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity β that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
Charles BaudelaireRead
Imagination is an almost divine faculty which, without recourse to any philosophical method, immediately perceives everything: the secret and intimate connections between things, correspondences and analogies.
Interpretation
Imagination allows us to perceive deep connections between things beyond mere observation.
In this quote, Baudelaire emphasizes the extraordinary power of imagination as a unique and almost divine ability to discern intricate relationships and meanings within the world. Unlike rigid philosophical methodologies, imagination provides an immediate understanding of the subtleties, coincidences, and parallels that bind various aspects of existence, suggesting that true insight often comes from creative and intuitive thought rather than analytical reasoning.
In practice
This quote could inspire artists during a creative workshop to explore new ideas.
That which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal; from which it follows that irregularity β that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are a essential part and characteristic of beauty.
The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
Who among us has not dreamt, in moments of ambition, of the miracle of a poetic prose, musical without rhythm and rhyme, supple and staccato enough to adapt to the lyrical stirrings of the soul, the undulations of dreams, and sudden leaps of consciousness.
There is no sweeter pleasure than to surprise a man by giving him more than he hopes for.
The priest is an immense being because he makes the crowd believe astonishing things.
I consider it useless and tedious to represent what exists, because nothing that exists satisfies me. Nature is ugly, and I prefer the monsters of my fancy to what is positively trivial.
Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.
The Chinese government wants me to say that for many centuries Tibet has been part of China. Even if I make that statement, many people would just laugh. And my statement will not change past history. History is history.
I ought to spend the best hours of the day in communion with God. It is my noblest and most fruitful employment, and is not to be thrust into any corner.
I think the relationship between memory and time is a very deep and tricky one, to tell you the truth. I don't consider memory another sense. I do consider memory that which allows us to think that time flows.
I had come to Yugoslavia to see what history meant in flesh and blood.
Deep down we've never been who we think we once were, and we only remember what never happened.
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