QuoteProject
And so, resisting the temptation to wallow in artistic remorse, I prefer to leave both well and ill alone and to think about something else
Aldous Huxley
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the importance of not dwelling on past artistic failures or regrets; instead, it encourages focusing on new ideas and creations.

Aldous Huxley's quote suggests that artists should avoid the trap of regret and self-pity regarding their work. Instead of being consumed by the desire to revisit and judge past creations—whether successful or not—it's more fruitful to shift their attention towards new possibilities and ideas, allowing for ongoing innovation and creativity.

Themes

ArtCreativityRegretInnovationFocus

In practice

Example use cases

In an art therapy session, I encouraged participants to embrace this quote as they reflected on their past works.

More from Aldous Huxley

To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous HuxleyRead
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
Aldous HuxleyRead
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
Aldous HuxleyRead
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
Aldous HuxleyRead
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
Aldous HuxleyRead

Similar quotes

I prefer to unwind by DJing. I learned that from Mike D from the Beastie Boys. After a show, he would DJ. Once I saw that, I wanted to do that. And now DJing is like my lifeline. I love the power it represents.
QuestloveRead
Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money.
Jonathan FranzenRead
I leave you free to imagine any dialogue you please. Choose whatever may charm you. Have it, if you like, that they hear the voice of the blood, or that they fall in love at first sight... Conceive the wildest improbabilities. Have it that the depths of their beings are thrilled at accosting each other in slang. Tangle them suddenly in a swift embrace or a brotherly kiss. Do whatever you like.
Jean GenetRead
I value the people who are willing to make themselves vulnerable and share work that is sensitive and maybe even hard to sing sometimes. Because that's the music that provides the most solace and solidarity to the world.
Lucy DacusRead
Espresso is to Italy, what champagne is to France.
Charles Maurice De TalleyrandRead
I feel like in telling stories, there are the things the audience thinks are important, and then there are the things that are actually important.
J. J. AbramsRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.