Firebugs dragging their gasoline bottles Are approaching the Academy of Arts, with a grin. And so, instead of embracing them, Let us demand the freedom of the elbow To knock the bottles out of their filthy hands. Even the most blockheaded bureaucrat, Provided he loves peace, Is a greater lover of the arts Than any so-called art-lover Who loves the arts of war.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- True support for art means protecting it from war and destruction, not just loving it abstractly.
- In plain terms
- Defend art from violence rather than just admiring it.
- What can you take from it?
- Protect culture actively from those who destroy it.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we save art?
- Is love enough?
Another view
Peace sometimes requires force.
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