Secrecy involves a tension which, at the moment of revelation, finds its release.
Georg SimmelRead
Music and love are the only accomplishments of humanity which do not, in an absolute sense, have to be called attempts with unsuitable means.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Music and love are pure expressions of humanity that need no justification.
In this quote, Georg Simmel suggests that music and love stand out as the two greatest achievements of humankind, as they are inherently valuable and do not require external validation or justification. Unlike many other pursuits that may be seen as flawed or utilitarian, music and love resonate deeply within the human experience, embodying authenticity and emotional depth.
Themes
MusicLoveHumanityAccomplishmentsEmotional Expression
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech about the importance of the arts, one could integrate this quote to emphasize the value of music and love.
More from Georg Simmel
All quotes βSecrecy is thus, so to speak, a transition stadium between being and not-being.
Georg SimmelRead
Discretion is nothing other than the sense of justice with respect to the sphere of the intimate contents of life.
Georg SimmelRead
In the immediate as well as the symbolic sense, in the physical as well as the intellectual sense, we are at any moment those who separate the connected, or connect the separate.
Georg SimmelRead
For the division of labor demands from the individual an ever more one-sided accomplishment, and the greatest advance in a one-sided pursuit only too frequently means dearth to the personality of the individual.
Georg SimmelRead
By my existence I am nothing more than an empty place, an outline,that is reserved within being in general. Given with it, though, is the duty to fill in this empty place. That is my life.
Georg SimmelRead
Similar quotes
It is only after years of preparation that the young artist should touch color - not color used descriptively, that is, but as a means of personal expression.
Henri MatisseRead
The rhythm, the sounds, the tonality, the chord sequences, the individual effect of each instrument and each section of the band - I'm talking about a whole continent in my music.
Fela KutiRead
Imagination helps the realism of every detail, and only sees the beauties of the work.
Honore De BalzacRead
The truth is, the difference between a studio photographer and a photojournalist is the same as the difference between a political cartoonist and an abstract painter; the only thing the two have in common is the blank page. The jobs entail different talents and different desires.
Lynsey AddarioRead
Fashion is in the sky, in the street.
Coco ChanelRead
You need to keep something for yourself. As a writer, I feel that even more strongly. I feel like I need to be able to freely observe the world. That's the way I like to move through the world; I don't need to be the focus of attention. If I am, it impairs my ability to write and to do what I do.
Tracy ChapmanRead