If a victory is told in detail, one can no longer distinguish it from a defeat.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Every age has its own poetry; in every age the circumstances of history choose a nation, a race, a class to take up the torch by creating situations that can be expressed or transcended only through poetry.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that poetry uniquely reflects the cultural and historical context of each era, serving as a medium through which profound situations can be explored.
Jean-Paul Sartre's quote emphasizes the idea that poetry is not only a reflection of the times but also a powerful tool for expressing or transcending the conditions and struggles faced by specific nations, races, or classes throughout history. Each age brings its own set of challenges and experiences, leading to the creation of poetry that encapsulates the feelings and thoughts of that particular moment, thereby making it a vital form of cultural expression.
Themes
PoetryHistoryCultureExpressionArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of art in society, one might say, 'As Sartre wisely noted, every age has its own poetry, reflecting the struggles we face.'
More from Jean-Paul Sartre
All quotes βAll I want is' - and he uttered the final words through clenched teeth and with a sort of shame - 'to retain my freedom.' I should myself have thought,' said Jacques, 'that freedom consisted in frankly confronting situations into which one had deliberately entered, and accepting all one's responsibilities. But that, no doubt, is not your view.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
If you are lonely when you're alone, you are in bad company.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
A kiss without a moustache, they said then, is like an egg without salt; I will add to it: and it is like Good without Evil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
I wanted pure love: foolishness; to love one another is to hate a common enemy: I will thus espouse your hatred. I wanted Good: nonsense; on this earth and in these times, Good and Bad are inseparable: I accept to be evil in order to become good.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Night is falling: at dusk, you must have good eyesight to be able to tell the Good Lord from the Devil.
Jean-Paul SartreRead
Similar quotes
Every artist will one day face the moment when he or she is doing what he or she does after the style has passed and the art-world heat-seeking machine has moved on.
Jerry SaltzRead
I hate outlines. I have a broad sense of where the story is going; I know the end, I know the end of the principal characters, and I know the major turning points and events from the books, the climaxes for each book, but I don't necessarily know each twist and turn along the way. That's something I discover in the course of writing and that's what makes writing enjoyable. I think if I outlined comprehensively and stuck to the outline the actual writing would be boring.
George R. R. MartinRead
It is essential that the painter should develop not only his eyes, but also his soul, so that it too may be capable of weighing colors in balance.
Wassily KandinskyRead
Only truthful hands write true poems. I cannot see any basic difference between a handshake and a poem.
Paul CelanRead
I'm not a really firm believer in theatre that is 'about anything.' I don't think theatre can be about anything other than the people who show up and the value that they hold.
Branden Jacobs-JenkinsRead
If you just love movies enough, you can make a good one.
Quentin TarantinoRead