Death is the sound of distant thunder at a picnic.
W. H. AudenRead
Music can be made anywhere, is invisible and does not smell.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Music is an omnipresent and intangible form of expression.
This quote by W. H. Auden emphasizes the universality and ethereal nature of music, suggesting that it can be created in any environment, transcending physical boundaries and limitations. It highlights the idea that music is a profound form of artistry that exists beyond the senses, invoking feelings and emotions without being tied to a specific location or physical attributes.
Themes
MusicInvisibleArtExpressionUniversality
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech during a music festival to highlight the power of music.
More from W. H. Auden
All quotes →That the speech of self-disclosure should be translatable seems to me very odd, but I am convinced that it is. The conclusion that I draw is that the only quality which all human being without exception possess is uniqueness: any characteristic, on the other hand, which one individual can be recognized as having in common with another, like red hair or the English language, implies the existence of other individual qualities which this classification excludes.
W. H. AudenRead
Nobody knows what the cause is, though some pretend they do; it like some hidden assassin waiting to strike at you. Childless women get it, and men when they retire; it as if there had to be some outlet for their foiled creative fire.
W. H. AudenRead
History is, strictly speaking, the study of questions; the study of answers belongs to anthropology and sociology.
W. H. AudenRead
Music is the best means we have of digesting time.
W. H. AudenRead
'Healing,' Papa would tell me, 'is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.'
W. H. AudenRead
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