The idea comes to me from outside of me - and is like a gift. I then take the idea and make it my own - that is where the skill lies.
Johannes BrahmsRead
Those are miracles that no merely human brain can work. The artist is merely the sound conduct of a Force that dictates to him what he should do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The artist acts as a medium for a higher creative force beyond human capability.
Johannes Brahms suggests that the true essence of art stems from a divine or greater force that guides the artist's creativity. The artist does not solely rely on their intellect but instead channels something larger, producing what can be seen as miraculous creations that transcend ordinary human capability.
Themes
ArtCreativityForceInspirationArtist
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the role of inspiration in art, one might say this quote to illustrate the transcendental nature of creativity.
More from Johannes Brahms
All quotes →It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table.
Johannes BrahmsRead
We cling nervously to the melody, but we don't handle it freely, we don't really make anything new out of it, we merely overload it.
Johannes BrahmsRead
Composers in the old days used to keep strictly to the base of the theme, as their real subject. Beethoven varies the melody, harmony and rhythms so beautifully.
Johannes BrahmsRead
The fact that most people do not understand and respect the very best things, such as Mozart's concertos, is what permits men like us to become famous.
Johannes BrahmsRead
Study Bach. There you will find everything.
Johannes BrahmsRead
Similar quotes
I think of childhood as an explosion of creativity. For most people, growing up and earning a living means leaving all that behind. But an artist never leaves that behind. Edwin Mullhouse was my way of exploring the child as artist and, under the guise of childhood, something larger.
Steven MillhauserRead
And the idea of just wandering off to a cafe with a notebook and writing and seeing where that takes me for awhile is just bliss.
J. K. RowlingRead
I think if I had been writing fiction, where the work is entirely dependent on the writer's creativity and the potential directions the narrative might take are infinite, I might have frozen
Laura HillenbrandRead
Painting is another form of thinking.
Gerhard RichterRead
Music really isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s all about people relating to each other and doing something that’s really from the soul. It must come from the soul.
Tom PettyRead
Samurai films, like westerns, need not be familiar genre stories. They can expand to contain stories of ethical challenges and human tragedy.
Roger EbertRead