The eager or dutiful persons who subject themselves to these tidal waves of the classics and the moderns find everything wonderful in an absent-minded way. The wonder washes over them rather than into them, and one of its effects is to make anything shocking or odd suddenly interesting enough to gain a month's celebrity. And so another by-product of our come-one, come-all policy is the tendency to reward cleverness, not art, and to put one more hurdle in the path of the truly original artist.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Exposing people to too much culture superficially makes them value cleverness over true art, creating barriers for original artists who struggle to be seen.
- In plain terms
- When people consume too much culture too fast, they start liking clever tricks more than real art, which hurts original artists.
- What can you take from it?
- Superficial exposure to culture can devalue true art and hinder original creators.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you tell art from cleverness?
- Does quantity help or hurt appreciation?
Another view
Some might argue that broad exposure helps discover hidden gems.
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