Only a stomach that rarely feels hungry scorns common things.
HoraceRead
Poets wish to profit or to please.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Poets aim to either gain something from their work or bring joy to others.
This quote reflects the dual purpose of poetry and literature, suggesting that poets are driven by two main motivations: the desire to achieve personal gain, whether that be financial, recognition, or influence, and the wish to provide pleasure and inspiration to their audience. It highlights the complexity of artistic creation, where the motives can intertwine between personal fulfillment and the joy of sharing art with the world.
Themes
PoetryArtMotivationPleasureProfit
In practice
Example use cases
During a literary event, one might say this quote to highlight the motivations of poets in their creations.
More from Horace
All quotes βNow is the time for drinking; now the time to beat the earth with unfettered foot.
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Carpe diem! Rejoice while you are alive; enjoy the day; live life to the fullest; make the most of what you have. It is later than you think.
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It is of no consequence of what parents a man is born, as long as he be a man of merit.
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It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, _x000D_ but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, _x000D_ to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, _x000D_ and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland.
HoraceRead
Few cross the river of time and are able to reach non-being. Most of them run up and down only on this side of the river. But those who when they know the law follow the path of the law, they shall reach the other shore and go beyond the realm of death.
HoraceRead
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The more restrictions you have, the easier anything is to write.
Stephen SondheimRead
Draw a line; draw a line that pleases you. And remember that it is not the artist's role to copy the outlines of things but to create a world of his own lines on paper." (pp.28-29)
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If I create with my heart almost all my intentions remain. If it is with the head - almost nothing. An artist must not fear to be himself, to express only himself. If he is absolutely and entirely sincere, what he says and does will be acceptable to others.
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The poet is one who is able to keep the fresh vision of the child alive.
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The inmost spirit of poetry, in other words, is at bottom, in every recorded case, the voice of pain β and the physical body, so to speak, of poetry, is the treatment by which the poet tries to reconcile that pain with the world.
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I canβt write five words but that I change seven.
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