Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
Alexander PopeRead
To wake the soul by tender strokes of art, To raise the genius, and to mend the heart
Interpretation
Art has the power to elevate the human spirit and heal emotional wounds.
In this quote, Alexander Pope expresses the profound impact that art can have on the human experience. He suggests that through gentle and nurturing expressions of creativity, art can awaken the deeper aspects of our souls, enhance our intellectual capabilities, and provide solace to our hearts, ultimately serving as a source of healing and inspiration in our lives.
In practice
As a reminder of the healing power of creativity, this quote could be shared in an art class to inspire students.
Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.
What dire offence from am'rous causes springs, What mighty contests rise from trivial things.
Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare; And beauty draws us with a single hair.
An honest man's the noblest work of God.
One thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight;_x000D_ _x000D_ Priests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight.
Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
There are things that I refuse to deal with except through my music... because I don't trust humanity that much, and I don't know if I trust me that much. But I trust the songs.
Black literature is taught as sociology, as tolerance, not as a serious, rigorous art form.
My brain hums with scraps of poetry and madness.
I write as a witness to what I have seen.
Creative life should be more than preaching to the converted, more than going for a core audience of 100,000 people. It should be taking risks, challenging the readership and having enough faith in one's own talent and craft to take readers on that ride.
A game: say something. Close your eyes and say something. Anything, a number, a name. Like this (she closes her eyes): Two, two what? Two women. What do they look like? Wearing black. Where are they? In a park. . . . And then, what are they doing? Try it, it's so easy, why don't you want to play? You know, that's how I talk to myself when I'm alone, I tell myself all kinds of stories. And not only silly stories: actually, I live this way altogether.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.