The power of art is that it can connect us to one another, and to larger truths about what it means to be alive and what it means to be human.
Interpretation
Art connects individuals while expressing universal truths of humanity and existence.
In this quote, Daniel Levitin emphasizes the profound ability of art to forge connections between people and to communicate essential truths about life and humanity. It suggests that through artistic expression, we can explore shared experiences and deeper understandings of our existence, ultimately fostering a sense of community and a broader perspective on what it means to be human.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of community, one might use this quote to illustrate how art brings people together.
As soon as you hear a proposition, the creative brain in humans assumes for the moment that it's true, and starts trying to find evidence. It's what computer scientists in the old days used to call 'Fifo:' first in, first out. The first piece of information that gets in has a privileged position, even if it's misinformation.
What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.
Information overload refers to the notion that we're trying to take in more than the brain can handle.
That walk around the block, that fresh air, is going to help you work more quickly and effectively when you get back.
There are a lot of books about how to get organized and a lot of books about how to be better and more productive at business, but I don't know of one that grounds any of these in the science.
There's an ancient connection between movement and music. Most languages don't make a distinction between the words 'music' and 'dance.' And we can see that in the brain. When people are lying perfectly still but listening to music, the neurons in the motor cortex are firing.
No matter what culture you're from, everyone loves music.
To me, the great joy of writing is discovering. Most writers are told to write about what they know, but I still love the adventure of going out and reporting on things I don't know about.
I've always felt that the quality of the voice is where the real content of a song lies. Words only suggest an experience, but the voice is that experience.
We read five words on the first page of a really good novel and we begin to forget that we are reading printed words on a page; we begin to see images.
To hell with facts! We need stories.
Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic.
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