--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mass production is nothing new. Weren't…" description: "\"Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the rig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ai-weiwei-824_artist_mass-production-is-nothing-new-weren-t-c_1631771.png" --- # Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built… ![“Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. The scale of production is irrelevant to its content.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ai-weiwei-824_artist_mass-production-is-nothing-new-weren-t-c_1631771.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ai-weiwei-824_artist_mass-production-is-nothing-new-weren-t-c_1631771.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/ai-weiwei-824_artist_mass-production-is-nothing-new-weren-t-c_1631771.png) > “Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. The scale of production is irrelevant to its content.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The method of creating art—mass or individual—doesn't dictate its value; content and intention matter more than scale. **In simple terms:** How you make art matters less than what it expresses. Key Takeaway Focus on meaning, not production method. Themes art culture creativity Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - museum curation - public installations - educational workshops Key Concepts mass production handcraft collaboration artistic intent Questions to Reflect On - How does collaboration affect artistic voice? - Can scale enhance meaning? A Different Perspective Mass production can dilute individual expression if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Cathedrals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathedrals/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Irrelevant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrelevant/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Left hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-hand/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-production/) [Nothing new](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing-new/) [Painted Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painted-left-490209/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Paintings Painted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings-painted-490210/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Production Pyramids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/production-pyramids-490212/) [Productions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productions/) [Pyramids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyramids/) [Right hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-hand/) [Scale Production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scale-production-490211/) [Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scales/) ## Related quotes > [Paintings are painted with paint, not with ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/paintings-are-painted-with-paint-not-with-ideas/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [“To aid and abet in the destruction of a single species or in the extermination of a single tribe is to commit a crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/to-aid-and-abet-in-the-destruction-of-a-single-species-or-in-the/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [The technology of mass production is inherently violent, ecologically damaging, self-defeating in terms of non-renewable resources, and stultifying for the human person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/the-technology-of-mass-production-is-inherently-violent-ecologically/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [Development has to result in jobs. What we need is not just more production, but mass production and production by masses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/development-has-to-result-in-jobs-what-we-need-is-not-just-more/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [The law I sign today directs new funds and new focus to the task of collecting vital intelligence on terrorist threats and on weapons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-law-i-sign-today-directs-new-funds-and-new-focus-to-the-task-of/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A 'reptilian revolution' has the potential to reshape manufacturing. The 'snakebots' being developed at Carnegie Mellon University aren't just useful for surgical or search-and-rescue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-evans/a-reptilian-revolution-has-the-potential-to-reshape-manufacturing-the/) [Kelly Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-evans/) > [“The bigger things get the smaller and duller or flatter the globe gets. It is getting to be all one blasted little provincial suburb.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/the-bigger-things-get-the-smaller-and-duller-or-flatter-the-globe/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [I know there are lots of positives in the evolution of technology, but I also think it will be responsible for the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/i-know-there-are-lots-of-positives-in-the-evolution-of-technology-but/) [Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/) > [The characteristic feature of modern capitalism is mass production of goods destined for consumption by the masses. The result is a tendency towards a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/the-characteristic-feature-of-modern-capitalism-is-mass-production-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Most of today's film actresses are typical of a mass-production age: living dolls who look as if they came off an assembly line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-lawrenson/most-of-today-s-film-actresses-are-typical-of-a-mass-production-age/) [Helen Lawrenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-lawrenson/) > [Think of all the mesquite in Texas, the pinyon pines, the acorns in Appalachia, every place has the possibility of mass production. It's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/think-of-all-the-mesquite-in-texas-the-pinyon-pines-the-acorns-in/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [“Many of the more ghastly and idiotic aspects of the Great War were made possible by the coincidence of mass-production and the social religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/many-of-the-more-ghastly-and-idiotic-aspects-of-the-great-war-were/) [Gilbert Andrew Hugh Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-andrew-hugh-gordon/) > [Just as modern mass production requires the standardization of commodities, so the social process requires standardization of man, and this standardization is called equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/just-as-modern-mass-production-requires-the-standardization-of/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Hollywood... was the place where the United States perpetrated itself as a universal dream and put the dream into mass production.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/hollywood-was-the-place-where-the-united-states-perpetrated-itself-as/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [As the OLPC laptop was getting ready to go into mass production in 2007, many executives approached me wanting the screen that I invented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lou-jepsen/as-the-olpc-laptop-was-getting-ready-to-go-into-mass-production-in/) [Mary Lou Jepsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lou-jepsen/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mass production is nothing new. Weren't cathedrals built through mass production? The pyramids?... Paintings can be painted with the left hand, the right hand, someone else's hand, or many people's hands. 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