Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
William BlakeRead
I love hanging and drawing and quartering_x000D_ Every bit as well as war and slaughtering.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the paradox of finding beauty in art and the darker aspects of human nature.
William Blake uses this quote to juxtapose the seemingly violent imagery of 'drawing and quartering' with the act of creating and appreciating art. By stating he loves both equally, Blake highlights the intricate relationship between beauty and brutality, suggesting that even in suffering and chaos, there can be a form of artistic expression and exploration of the human condition.
In practice
In a discussion about the duality of life, one might quote Blake to illustrate how art can emerge from chaos.
Thou art a man God is no more Thy own humanity Learn to adore
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
O thou who passest through our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! Thou, O Summer, Oft pitchest here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
Every Night and every Morn Some to Misery are born. Every Morn and every Night Some are born to Sweet Delight, Some are born to Endless Night.
As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
He who would do good to another must do it in minute particulars.
Every viewer who ever turned on 'Doctor Who' has taken him into his heart. He belongs to all of us.
The art of the critic in a nutshell: to coin slogans without betraying ideas. The slogans of an inadequate criticism peddle ideas to fashion.
Manifesting that order of poetry where we can at last grow up to that which we stored up as we grew.
I take six or seven years to write really small books. There is a kind of aesthetic of leanness, of brevity.
To play the trumpet, you must train your lips for a long time. When I was twelve or thirteen I was a good player, but I lost the skill and now I play very badly. I do it every day even so. The reason is that I want to return to my childhood. For me, the trumpet is evidence of the sort of young man I was.
There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. The writer who has to go into the streets is a writer who does not know the streets. . . when you leave your typewriter you leave your machine gun and the rats come pouring through.
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