To him the stars seemed like so many musical notes affixed to the sky, just waiting for somebody to unfasten them. Someday the sky would be emptied, but by then the earth would be a constellation of musical scores
Interpretation
The quote portrays the stars as potential musical notes, suggesting a deep connection between the universe and creativity.
Machado De Assis uses the metaphor of stars as musical notes to convey the idea that the universe is full of untapped creativity waiting to be expressed. He suggests that while the sky may eventually be emptied of stars, the earth will remain vibrant with the music of life created from those inspirations, highlighting the relationship between the cosmos and artistic expression.
In practice
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of artistic expression.
Let Pascal say that man is a thinking reed. He is wrong; man is a thinking erratum. Each period in life is a new edition that corrects the preceding one and that in turn will be corrected by the next, until publication of the definitive edition, which the publisher donates to the worms.
In ordinary life, the action of a third party does not free the contractor from an obligation; but the advantage of making a contract with heaven is that intentions are valid currency.
There is nothing in the world so monstrously vast as our indifference.
Por que bonita, se coxa? Por que coxa, se bonita?
We are the sons of Sorrow; we are the poets and the prophets and the musicians.
The Sopranos all came down to the writing. I wouldn't have been on for as long as I was if the writing weren't so good.
For me, being a complete artist means not necessarily just being in front of the camera, but being behind the camera or being the originator or creator of something.
I went to the zoo one day and saw a chimp playing with a beat-up acoustic guitar in a way I had never seen before. Instead of using the pick the chimp was banging the neck and tapping it with its fingers. I knew the chimp was on to something so I practiced this new technique in my room for hours until I'd perfected it.
You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.
Don't look for obscure formulas or mystery in my work. It is pure joy that I offer you. Look at my sculptures until you see them. Those closest to God have seen them.
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