Food, one assumes, provides nourishment; but Americans eat it fully aware that small amounts of poison have been added to improve its appearance and delay its putrefaction.
John CageRead
My favorite piece [piece of music] is the one we hear all the time if we are quiet.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the idea that silence and listening reveal the beauty of music around us.
John Cage's quote suggests that music is not just found in traditional compositions but also in the ambient sounds of our environment. By being quiet and attentive, we can appreciate the subtle melodies that often go unnoticed, highlighting the concept that art and beauty are omnipresent if we take the time to listen.
In practice
During a meditation session, I shared John Cage's quote to encourage participants to embrace the surrounding sounds.
Food, one assumes, provides nourishment; but Americans eat it fully aware that small amounts of poison have been added to improve its appearance and delay its putrefaction.
Which is more musical: a truck passing by a factory or a truck passing by a music school?
There was a German philosopher who is very well known, his name was Immanuel Kant, and he said there are two things that donβt have to mean anything, one is music and the other is laughter. Donβt have to mean anything that is, in order to give us deep pleasure.
I remember loving sound before I ever took a music lesson. And so we make our lives by what we love.
I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.
People who aren't artists often feel that artists are inspired. But if you work at your art you don't have time to be inspired.
You know, young actors say all the time, 'Should I use my own life experience?' And my response is, 'What choice do you have?'
So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say.
The great advantage of being a writer is that you can spy on people. You're there, listening to every word, but part of you is observing. Everything is useful to a writer, you see - every scrap, even the longest and most boring of luncheon parties.
There is a word, in a verb, something sacred which forbids us from using it recklessly. To handle a language cunningly is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery.
For me, playwriting is and has always been like making a chair. Your concerns are balance, form, timing, lights, space, music. If you don't have these essentials, you might as well be writing a theoretical essay, not a play.
I think when you're young and have that first burst of energy and make five or six pictures in a row that tell the stories of all the things in life you want to say... well, maybe those are the films that should have won me the Oscar.
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