QuoteProject
I was born Chinese, and I write in Chinese. I don't think there's any need to evade this... to a writer, as to a person, what matters is not his political label or his nationality, but whether he is a person and whether his work is worth looking at.
Gao Xingjian
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The essence of a writer is their humanity and the quality of their work, not their nationality or political identity.

Gao Xingjian emphasizes that his identity as a Chinese writer is inseparable from his artistic expressions. However, he argues that true value lies not in political affiliations or national origin, but in the intrinsic worth of the writer's work and their humanity. This perspective invites readers to appreciate literature beyond superficial labels and recognize the universal qualities that resonate within art.

Themes

WritingArtIdentityHumanityQuality

In practice

Example use cases

In a literary discussion on identity, this quote can illustrate the importance of universal values in art.

More from Gao Xingjian

With the beginning of life, comes the thirst for truth, whereas the ability to lie is gradually acquired in the process of trying to stay alive.
Gao XingjianRead
For me, writing [was] a question of survival...I could not trust anyone, even my family. The atmosphere was so poisoned. People even in your own family could turn you in.
Gao XingjianRead
Young man, nature is not frightening, it's people who are frightening! You just need to get to know nature and it will become friendly. This creature known as man is of course highly intelligent, he's capable of manufacturing almost anything from rumours to test-tube babies and yet he destroys two to three species every day. This is the absurdity of man.
Gao XingjianRead
If you're not perfectly conscious of yourself, that self can be tyrannical; in relationship to others, anyone can become a tyrant. That's why no one can be a Superman. You have to go beyond yourself with a 'third eye' - self-awareness - because the one thing you cannot flee is yourself.
Gao XingjianRead
Since childhood, I'd dreamed of making a film, but producers in France and Germany wanted to make commercial films with chinoiserie. I refused.
Gao XingjianRead
Literature transcends national boundaries, racial boundaries. It goes deep into the issues that concern all human beings. That is why, when people read Greek tragedy - it doesn't matter who reads it - they are still moved by it.
Gao XingjianRead

Similar quotes

What always made me proud - almost blushing with pride - is that Francis Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg all told me that 'The Conformist' is their first modern influence.
Bernardo BertolucciRead
Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
Art's task is to save the soul of mankind.. anything less is a dithering while Rome burns.
Terence MckennaRead
When I'm stuck for a closing to a lyric, I will drag out my last resort: overwhelming illogic.
David BowieRead
The idea that one might use art for 'instrumental' reasons tends to set off alarm bells at the heart of the cultural elite, who contend that it's not a pill, that it shouldn't be asked to perform some specific function, especially something as egocentric as to 'cheer you up' or to 'make you a more empathetic person.'
Alain De BottonRead
It's into the same bag as E.T. and Yoda, wherein you're trying to create something that people will actually believe, but it's not so much a symbol of the thing, but you're trying to do the thing itself.
Jim HensonRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.