--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Music is only a means to an end - it is…" description: "\"Music is only a means to an end - it is not the end. The concern is with the condition of man\" — Abdullah Ibrahim" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/abdullah-ibrahim-56593_concern_music-is-only-a-means-to-an-end-it-is-no_363549.jpg" --- # Music is only a means to an end - it is not the end. The… ![“Music is only a means to an end - it is not the end. The concern is with the condition of man” quote by Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/abdullah-ibrahim-56593_concern_music-is-only-a-means-to-an-end-it-is-no_363549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/abdullah-ibrahim-56593_concern_music-is-only-a-means-to-an-end-it-is-no_363549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/abdullah-ibrahim-56593_concern_music-is-only-a-means-to-an-end-it-is-no_363549.jpg) > “Music is only a means to an end - it is not the end. The concern is with the condition of man” [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Music serves as a tool for human better, not the ultimate goal; focus should be on improving humanity. **In simple terms:** Music is a means, not an end. Key Takeaway Prioritize human welfare over entertainment. Themes music humanity purpose Mood thoughtful motivational Type philosophical social When to use this quote - education reform - community projects - mental health initiatives Key Concepts artistic expression social impact ethics Questions to Reflect On - What role should art play in social change? - How can we ensure art serves humanity? A Different Perspective Music alone cannot solve societal issues; requires broader systemic change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [When I saw music as a means to an end - more fame, more money, dating celebrities - that's when things have gone terribly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-saw-music-as-a-means-to-an-end-more-fame-more-money-dating/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-end-comes-when-we-no-longer-talk-with-ourselves-it-is-the-end-of-2/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Only as long as we believe in our own identity over time does it make sense for us to make future plans, avoid risks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-metzinger/only-as-long-as-we-believe-in-our-own-identity-over-time-does-it-make/) [Thomas Metzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-metzinger/) > [There was no cure for the human condition because every man read the present and plotted the future in the light of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-west/there-was-no-cure-for-the-human-condition-because-every-man-read-the/) [Morris West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-west/) > [On being asked what condition of man he considered the most pitiable: A lonesome man on a rainy day who does not know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/on-being-asked-what-condition-of-man-he-considered-the-most-pitiable/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“The fundamental condition of man is his verticality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/the-fundamental-condition-of-man-is-his-verticality/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [The condition of man... is a condition of war of everyone against everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/the-condition-of-man-is-a-condition-of-war-of-everyone-against/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Brotherhood is the very price and condition of man's survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-p-romulo/brotherhood-is-the-very-price-and-condition-of-man-s-survival/) [Carlos P. Romulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-p-romulo/) > [An actor feels the dilemma of being a human being and through his art tries to explain the condition of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cassidy/an-actor-feels-the-dilemma-of-being-a-human-being-and-through-his-art/) [Ted Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cassidy/) > [And because the condition of Man, (as hath been declared in the precedent Chapter) is a condition of Warre of every one against everyone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/and-because-the-condition-of-man-as-hath-been-declared-in-the/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [I am primarily concerned with the condition of man,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-levine/i-am-primarily-concerned-with-the-condition-of-man/) [Jack Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-levine/) > [Gospel music is not a sound; gospel music is a message. Gospel music means good news. It's good-news music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-franklin/gospel-music-is-not-a-sound-gospel-music-is-a-message-gospel-music/) [Kirk Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-franklin/) > [The superior person tries to promote music as a means to the perfection of human culture. When such music prevails, and people's minds are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-person-tries-to-promote-music-as-a-means-to-the/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Music means a great deal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/music-means-a-great-deal-to-me/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [“The examination of even a small part of the world's music and what it means to various peoples and to various creative persons is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-partch/the-examination-of-even-a-small-part-of-the-world-s-music-and-what-it/) [Harry Partch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-partch/) ## More by Abdullah Ibrahim > [People say that slaves were taken from Africa. This is not true: People were taken from Africa, among them healers and priests, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ibrahim/people-say-that-slaves-were-taken-from-africa-this-is-not-true-people/) [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) > [They took away time, and they gave us the clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ibrahim/they-took-away-time-and-they-gave-us-the-clock/) [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) > [When time and space and change converge, we find place. We arrive in Place when we resolve things. Place is peace of mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ibrahim/when-time-and-space-and-change-converge-we-find-place-we-arrive-in/) [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) > [I don't think of myself as a jazz musician but a medicine man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ibrahim/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-jazz-musician-but-a-medicine-man/) [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) > [The biggest problem in South Africa is that we have a disrupted timeline. Historically, politically, spiritually, economically, in people's minds, in people's heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdullah-ibrahim/the-biggest-problem-in-south-africa-is-that-we-have-a-disrupted/) [Abdullah Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) [Explore all 6 Abdullah Ibrahim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdullah-ibrahim/) ## More Concern quotes > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I'm a vegetarian - I think there's a strong possibility, had I not become a vegetarian, I would not be working now. I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barker/i-m-a-vegetarian-i-think-there-s-a-strong-possibility-had-i-not/) [Bob Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barker/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [It concerns me when people frame the conversation about equal pay about the entertainment business. I don't want the wage gap issue to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/it-concerns-me-when-people-frame-the-conversation-about-equal-pay/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [The Patriot Act is certainly a concern; all of those things are dangerous. I think more important than me preaching is that we as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/the-patriot-act-is-certainly-a-concern-all-of-those-things-are/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [More compassionate mind, more sense of concern for other's well-being, is source of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/more-compassionate-mind-more-sense-of-concern-for-other-s-well-being/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [ I just have to deal with it \[injuries\] if and when problems happen. It's obviously a concern and I've been very careful with my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-james/i-just-have-to-deal-with-it-injuries-if-and-when-problems-happen-it-s/) [Greg James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-james/) > [Much has been said and continues to be said of what little concern the Turks had for the Acropolis treasures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-mercouri/much-has-been-said-and-continues-to-be-said-of-what-little-concern/) [Melina Mercouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-mercouri/) Browse all 3,297 Concern quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Music is only a means to an end - it is not the end. 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