He knew that the whole mystery of beauty can never be comprehended by the crowd, and that while clearness is a virtue of style, perfect explicitness is not a necessary virtue.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Beauty is too complex for everyone to understand, and clear writing does not need to be completely explicit.
- In plain terms
- Not everyone gets the full meaning of beauty, and good style doesn't need to explain everything.
- What can you take from it?
- Leave some mystery in your work; clarity is good but total explicitness is not required.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much should you explain in your work?
- Is mystery valuable in art?
Another view
Some audiences may prefer total clarity over artistic ambiguity.
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