The task of a writer consists of being able to make something out of an idea.
Thomas MannRead
To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. It is my conviction that the intellect can be certain that in doing what most disconcerts the crowd, in pursuing the most daring, unconventional advances and explorations, it will in some highly indirect fashion serve man - and in the long run, all men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Art should challenge and provoke thought rather than conform to popular understanding.
Thomas Mann's quote emphasizes the importance of artistic expression that goes beyond the conventional expectations of the average person. He argues that restricting art to what is easily understood is a form of intellectual small-mindedness that stifles creativity and the spirit of exploration, suggesting that true artistic endeavors should aim to challenge the status quo and ultimately benefit humanity through innovative thought and exploration.
Themes
ArtCreativityIntellectInnovationExpression
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during an art show to inspire deeper thinking about the pieces on display.
More from Thomas Mann
All quotes →Stupid — well, there are so many kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.
Thomas MannRead
It is a strange fact that freedom and equality, the two basic ideas of democracy, are to some extent contradictory. Logically considered, freedom and equality are mutually exclusive, just as society and the individual are mutually exclusive.
Thomas MannRead
I tell them that if they will occupy themselves with the study of mathematics they will find in it the best remedy against the lusts of the flesh.
Thomas MannRead
Literature... is the union of suffering with the instinct for form.
Thomas MannRead
The Freudian theory is one of the most important foundation stones for an edifice to be built by future generations, the dwelling of a freer and wiser humanity.
Thomas MannRead
Similar quotes
Companies that pretend to care about music and really care about other things - whether it be hardware, whether it be advertising - and now they look at music as a loss leader. And we know music isn't a loss leader; music is an important part of our lives.
Jay-ZRead
When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films.'
Quentin TarantinoRead
I shut my eyes in order to see.
Paul GauguinRead
There is always an emotional element to anything that you make.
Oscar De La RentaRead
A musician is a professional, whether he or she is successful or not. The profession itself must be regarded as a stable job.
A. R. RahmanRead
In the early days, Porter Wagoner would not exactly scold me, but he's say, 'You're writing too many damn verses. You're makin' these songs too damn long.' And I'd say, 'Yeah, but I'm tellin' a story. I have a story to tell.' And he'd say, 'Well, you're not going to get it on the radio.' If I start writing a song, I'm writing it for a reason. People would say that I had to have two verses, and a chorus, and a bridge. I tried to learn that formula.
Dolly PartonRead