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I know of no one writing about politics today whose work is more inspirational. A brilliant intellectual, playwright and essayist, he believes with passion that essayists, poets, dramatists, artists, musicians, and philosophers carry responsibility for the well-being of the societies in which they live. In describing the role of politics in the world today, he exhibits a keen grasp of prevailing global dynamics. He knows from conviction and experience why a politics that is not attached to an anchored spirituality carries no lasting promise. When addressing religion, he affirms what believers wish to avow without falling into debilitating dogmatic or parochial traps. In assessing the present conditions of the world, he warns against utilitarian, pragmatic techno-culture. He respects the innate human aspiration to become rooted in that which most profoundly binds us to the core of being.

Vaclav Havel#114

PoliticsResponsibilityArtIntellectualsSpirituality

About this quote

What does it mean?
Havel argues that artists and intellectuals bear a deep responsibility for society's well-being and that true politics must be rooted in spirituality to endure.
In plain terms
Artists and leaders should guide society with moral depth, not just practicality.
What can you take from it?
Political and artistic work needs a spiritual anchor to last.

Where it applies

  • public intellectual work
  • cultural commentary
  • policy making

Putting it to work

  • engage in public discourse
  • connect art to ethics
  • avoid pure utilitarianism

Questions to consider

  • How do you balance art and social responsibility?
  • What role should spirituality play in public life?

Another view

Not all artists have the capacity or desire to take on societal leadership roles.

More from Vaclav Havel

  1. It's not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs

    Permalink to quote #113
  2. Havel ... invokes ... 'higher law' when he claims that 'human rights, human freedoms . . . and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the per…

    Permalink to quote #115
  3. It has been our absolutely basic historical experience that, in the long run, the only thing that can be truly successful and meaningful politically must first…

    Permalink to quote #112

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