An abstract painting need in 50 years by no means look "abstract" any longer.
Marcel DuchampRead
It is curious to note how fragile the memory is, even for the important times in one's life. This is, moreover, what explains the fortunate fantasy of history.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Memory can be unreliable, even regarding significant life events, which contributes to the subjective nature of history.
This quote by Marcel Duchamp highlights the fragility of human memory, suggesting that even our most cherished and significant experiences may become distorted over time. It indicates that this inherent unreliability of memory contributes to the way history is perceived and recorded, often influenced by personal interpretations and emotional biases.
Themes
MemoryHistoryFragilitySubjectivityExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about historical accuracy, you can emphasize the importance of understanding memory's limitations with this quote.
More from Marcel Duchamp
All quotes →All this twaddle, the existence of God, atheism, determinism, liberation, societies, death, etc., are pieces of a chess game called language, and they are amusing only if one does not preoccupy oneself with 'winning or losing this game of chess.
Marcel DuchampRead
I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position.
Marcel DuchampRead
I never finished the 'Large Glass' because, after working on it for eight years, I probably got interested in something else; also, I was tired. It may be that, subconsciously, I never intended to finish it because the word 'finish' implies an acceptance of traditional methods and all the paraphernalia that accompany them.
Marcel DuchampRead
It's a product of two poles - there's the pole of the one who makes the work, and the pole of the one who looks at it. I give the latter as much importance as the one who makes it.
Marcel DuchampRead
I became a librarian at the Sainte-Genevieve Library in Paris. I made this gesture to rid myself of a certain milieu, a certain attitude, to have a clean conscience, but also to make a living. I was twenty-five. I had been told that one must make a living, and I believed it.
Marcel DuchampRead
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Justice is the loveliest and health is the best. but the sweetest to obtain is the heart's desire.
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The way we use our money is a barometer of our present spiritual condition. Our neglect of the poor illustrates much about where our hearts lie. But even more than that, the way we use our money is an indicator of our eternal destination. The mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there
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