The art has to make it on its own, without explanations, and it’s the same for poetry. If the poem or the painting has to be explained, then it’s a failure in communication.
Lawrence FerlinghettiRead
I didn’t know that painters and writers retired. They’re like soldiers – they just fade away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the idea that artists continue their craft until the end, much like soldiers who never truly retire.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti suggests that painters and writers do not formally retire from their passions, portraying them as devoted individuals who, instead of quitting, gradually transition into obscurity. This analogy to soldiers emphasizes their lifelong commitment to their art, highlighting the notion that creativity is an enduring endeavor that wanes rather than concludes.
Themes
ArtistsCreativityCommitmentPassionDedication
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could inspire an audience at an art exhibition focusing on the life-long passion of artists.
More from Lawrence Ferlinghetti
All quotes →Poets, come out of your closets, Open your windows, open your doors, You have been holed up too long in your closed worlds... Poetry should transport the public/to higher places/than other wheels can carry it.
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Constantly risking absurdity and death whenever he performs above the heads of his audience, the poet, like an acrobat, climbs on rhyme to a high wire of his own making.
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The state of the world calls out for poetry to save it.
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Don't bow down to critics who have not themselves written great masterpieces.
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Poetry is eternal graffiti written in the heart of everyone.
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