Skip to content

Each work of art excludes the world, concentrates…

“Each work of art excludes the world, concentrates attention on itself. For the time it is the only thing worth doing -to do just that; be it a sonnet, a statue, a landscape, an outline head of Caesar, or an oration. Presently we return to the sight of another that globes itself into a whole as did…” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Download Open image
“Each work of art excludes the world, concentrates attention on itself. For the time it is the only thing worth doing -to do just that; be it a sonnet, a statue, a landscape, an outline head of Caesar, or an oration. Presently we return to the sight of another that globes itself into a whole as did the first, for example, a beautiful garden; and nothing seems worth doing in life but laying out a garden.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Art isolates the creator, demanding total focus; the highest purpose is to create something beautiful like a garden, which embodies life's meaning.

In simple terms: Art demands focus; creating beauty, like a garden, gives purpose.

Key Takeaway

Create and cherish beauty in life.

Themes

art focus beauty purpose

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical creative

When to use this quote

  • painting
  • sculpture
  • gardening
  • writing
  • design

Key Concepts

Aesthetic philosophy creative immersion

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does “laying out a garden” symbolize for you?
  • How can you balance artistic focus with everyday duties?
A Different Perspective

May ignore practical responsibilities while pursuing art.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet

More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes

More Art quotes

Browse all 48,643 Art quotes