A thing which is present can be invisible, hidden by what it shows
Rene MagritteRead
I detest my past, and anyone else's. I detest resignation, patience, professional heroism and obligatory beautiful feelings. I also detest the decorative arts, folklore, advertising, voices making announcements, aerodynamism, boy scouts, the smell of moth balls, events of the moment, and drunken people.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses a strong rejection of conventional beauty and societal norms.
Rene Magritte's quote underscores a deep sense of disillusionment with societal expectations and superficial elements of life. By stating his disdain for various aspects of culture and human behavior, he emphasizes a desire for authenticity and rejection of the status quo, reflecting the avant-garde spirit of Surrealism, which challenges traditional notions of art, beauty, and reality.
Themes
DisillusionmentAuthenticitySocietyArtRejection
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about modern art, one might use this quote to illustrate an artist's struggle against societal norms.
More from Rene Magritte
All quotes →Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see.
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Everything that is visible hides something that is invisible.
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The famous pipe. How people reproached me for it! And yet, could you stuff my pipe? No, it's just a representation, is it not? So if I had written on my picture “This is a pipe”, I'd have been lying!
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Nothing is confused except the mind.
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We must not fear daylight just because it almost always illuminates a miserable world.
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