It is not at all certain that a merely moral criticism of society may not be just as 'revolutionary' - and revolution, after all, means turning things upside down - as the politico-economic criticism which is fashionable at this moment. Blake was not a politician, but there is more understanding of the nature of capitalist society in a poem like 'I wander through each charter'd street' than in three-quarters of Socialist literature.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Moral criticism of society can be as revolutionary as political or economic critique, often showing deeper insight through poetry.
- In plain terms
- Art and morality can change society just as much as politics.
- What can you take from it?
- Literary moral critique reveals systemic flaws as effectively as economic analysis.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can art be more revolutionary than policy?
- Which critiques change society more?
Another view
Moral criticism alone may not lead to concrete policy change.
More from William Blake
When a sinister person means to be your enemy, they always start by trying to become your friend.
Permalink to quote #156 The iron hand crush'd the Tyrant's head And became a Tyrant in his stead.
Permalink to quote #155 My Brother starv'd between two Walls, His Children's Cry my Soul appalls;
Permalink to quote #154
Related quotes
The poet:who is the legislator of generations and the moral instructor of the world.
William GodwinWilliam Godwin quote #2 The storyteller and poet of our time, as in any other time, must be an entertainer of the spirit in the full sense of the word, not just a preacher of social o…
Isaac Bashevis SingerIsaac Bashevis Singer quote #17 The most important of all revolutions... a revolution in sentiments, manners and moral opinions.
Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke quote #136