Personal relations are the important thing for ever and ever, and not this outer life of telegrams and anger.
E. M. ForsterRead
It so happened that Lucy, who found daily life rather chaotic, entered a more solid world when she opened the piano. She was then no longer either deferential or patronizing; no longer either a rebel or a slave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates how engaging with art, like playing the piano, can provide a sense of order and clarity in a chaotic life.
E. M. Forster's quote reflects the transformative power of art, specifically music, in providing an escape from the complexities and chaos of everyday existence. For Lucy, the moment she engages with the piano allows her to transcend social roles and constraints, leading to a sense of liberation and authenticity as she connects with the music.
Themes
MusicArtChaosLiberationPiano
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art in education, one might use this quote to emphasize how music can provide structure in a chaotic environment.
More from E. M. Forster
All quotes →A poem is true if it hangs together. Information points to something else. A poem points to nothing but itself.
E. M. ForsterRead
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
E. M. ForsterRead
Oxford is Oxford: not a mere receptacle for youth, like Cambridge. Perhaps it wants its inmates to love it rather than to love one another.
E. M. ForsterRead
The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.
E. M. ForsterRead
One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.
E. M. ForsterRead
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