Which is more musical: a truck passing by a factory or a truck passing by a music school?
John CageRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the paradox of how food is consumed in America with an awareness of the unnatural additives that alter it.
John Cage's quote highlights the irony of modern food consumption in America, where individuals are conscious of the fact that additives are used to enhance the aesthetic appeal and shelf life of what they eat. This thought provokes a deeper reflection on our relationship with food, raising questions about health, authenticity, and the compromises made in the pursuit of convenience and attractiveness in the daily diet.
Themes
FoodAdditivesHealthAppearanceNourishment
In practice
Example use cases
During a public speaking event about food safety, one might use this quote to illustrate the hidden dangers of processed foods.
More from John Cage
All quotes →There was a German philosopher who is very well known, his name was Immanuel Kant, and he said there are two things that don’t have to mean anything, one is music and the other is laughter. Don’t have to mean anything that is, in order to give us deep pleasure.
John CageRead
I remember loving sound before I ever took a music lesson. And so we make our lives by what we love.
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I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.
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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.
John CageRead
Let no one imagine that in owning a recording he has the music. The very practice of music is a celebration that we own nothing.
John CageRead
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