It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Alain De BottonRead
The moment we cry in a film is not when things are sad but when they turn out to be more beautiful than we expected them to be.
Interpretation
True beauty often brings unexpected joy, especially in emotional contexts.
This quote reflects on the profound emotional impact that moments of unexpected beauty can have on us, particularly in the realm of storytelling through film. Rather than simply inducing sadness, it is the revelation of surprising beauty or grace that stirs our emotions and leads us to tears, highlighting our capacity to appreciate life's complexities.
In practice
During a speech about the emotional impact of cinema, one could use this quote to illustrate how art can surprise us.
It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Taking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread
The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
I write because I like to make things and the only things I am good at making things with are words.
I've been alienating my public since I was 20 years old. When 'American Buffalo' came out on Broadway, people would storm out and say, 'How dare he use that kind of language!' Of course I'm alienating the public! That's what they pay me for.
Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.
The most despairing songs are the most beautiful, and I know some immortal ones that are pure tears.
I developed a passion for the Middle Ages the same way some people develop a passion for coconuts.
There is a lot of propaganda about opera singers not being able to act. That's not necessarily true and hasn't been true for a very long time. And certainly there were those instances when singers were told they need to fit into a certain size dress. Of course, women. Men? They just make the costume bigger.
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