--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abused as we abuse it at present…" description: "\"Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation...\" — Aldous Huxley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg" --- # Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no… ![“Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation...” quote by Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg) > “Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation...” [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that modern drama lacks genuine emotional release and instead serves as self-indulgent expression. **In simple terms:** Drama feels more like self-pleasure than true catharsis. Key Takeaway Seek art that fosters authentic emotional processing. Themes art criticism emotional health drama catharsis Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - theater productions - creative writing workshops - film analysis Key Concepts psychology of art authentic expression Questions to Reflect On - What makes a work truly cathartic? - Can self-indulgence coexist with audience impact? A Different Perspective Art can still be meaningful despite personal indulgence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abused/) [Acting from actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting-from-actors/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-is/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Cathartic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathartic/) [Cathartic Merely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cathartic-merely-5426008/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Dramatic Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic-art-261390/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Masturbation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-masturbation-2473420/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Masturbation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masturbation/) ## Related quotes > [Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramatic-art-is-in-no-sense/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Made up of corallitic accretions and painful increments, lit on rare occasions by bolts of revelation, and then stuffed behind the wainscotting to grope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-town/made-up-of-corallitic-accretions-and-painful-increments-lit-on-rare/) [Harold Town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-town/) > [“Among our egocentric sad-sacks, despair is as addictive as heroin and more popular than sex, for the single reason that when one is unhappy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/among-our-egocentric-sad-sacks-despair-is-as-addictive-as-heroin-and/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I think we're in an age starved for genuine experiences, instead of cathartic phony experiences through the media, structured, engineered experiences. And those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-think-we-re-in-an-age-starved-for-genuine-experiences-instead-of/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [A true priest is aware of the presence of the altar during every moment that he is conducting a service. It is exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-stanislavski/a-true-priest-is-aware-of-the-presence-of-the-altar-during-every/) [Constantin Stanislavski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-stanislavski/) > [The theater has never been any good since the actors became gentlemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/the-theater-has-never-been-any-good-since-the-actors-became-gentlemen/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Acting is not being emotional, but being able to fully express emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acting-is-not-being-emotional-but-being-able-to-fully-express-emotion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you get a chance to act in a room that somebody else has paid rent for, then you're given a free chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/if-you-get-a-chance-to-act-in-a-room-that-somebody-else-has-paid-rent/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/a-man-who-strains-himself-on-the-stage-is-bound-if-he-is-any-good-to/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Make sure you live life, which means don't do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/make-sure-you-live-life-which-means-don-t-do-things-where-you-court/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The principal benefit acting has afforded me is the money to pay for my psychoanalysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/the-principal-benefit-acting-has-afforded-me-is-the-money-to-pay-for/) [Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/) > [Just be truthful - and if you can fake that, you've got it made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-stanwyck/just-be-truthful-and-if-you-can-fake-that-you-ve-got-it-made/) [Barbara Stanwyck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-stanwyck/) > [I went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art because it was the only drama school the social worker had ever heard of. Luckily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mccabe/i-went-to-the-royal-academy-of-dramatic-art-because-it-was-the-only/) [Richard McCabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mccabe/) > [Dramatic art in her opinion is knowing how to fill a sweater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-davis/dramatic-art-in-her-opinion-is-knowing-how-to-fill-a-sweater/) [Bette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-davis/) > [Jackie Gleason said that comedy is the most exacting form of dramatic art, because it has an instant critic: laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-jones/jackie-gleason-said-that-comedy-is-the-most-exacting-form-of-dramatic/) [Chuck Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-jones/) ## More by Aldous Huxley > [“Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere individual; it strikes at Society itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/unorthodoxy-threatens-more-than-the-life-of-a-mere-individual-it/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [My fate cannot be mastered; it can only be collaborated with and thereby, to some extent, directed. 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And his answer is: No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-question-for-the-man-of-sense-is-do-we-or-do-we-not-want-to-go-to/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“I’ll MAKE you be free whether you want to or not.’ -The Savage”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/i-ll-make-you-be-free-whether-you-want-to-or-not-the-savage/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The third petition of the Lord's Prayer is repeated daily by millions who have not the slightest intention of letting anyone's will be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-third-petition-of-the-lord-s-prayer-is-repeated-daily-by-millions/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Then what’s time for?” asked Lenina in some astonishment. Apparently, for going on walks in the Lake District; for that was what he now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/then-what-s-time-for-asked-lenina-in-some-astonishment-apparently-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/all-right-then-said-the-savage-defiantly-i-m-claiming-the-right-to-be/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Speed, it seems to me, provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/speed-it-seems-to-me-provides-the-one-genuinely-modern-pleasure/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“What you need is a gramme of soma.” “All the advantages of Christianity and alcohol; none of their defects.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/what-you-need-is-a-gramme-of-soma-all-the-advantages-of-christianity/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [To be enlightened is to be aware, always, of total reality in its immanent otherness - to be aware of it and yet remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/to-be-enlightened-is-to-be-aware-always-of-total-reality-in-its/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Quote of the day:Quote of the day: A democracy which makes or even effectively prepares for modern, scientific war must necessarily cease to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/quote-of-the-day-quote-of-the-day-a-democracy-which-makes-or-even/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) [Explore all 1,291 Aldous Huxley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional masturbation...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aldous Huxley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramatic-art-is-in-no-sense-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abuse" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramatic-art-is-in-no-sense-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/aldous-huxley-97_abuse_abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramati_3109509.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Abused as we abuse it at present, dramatic art is in no sense cathartic; it is merely a form of emotional…” — Aldous Huxley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aldous Huxley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Abused as we abuse it at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramatic-art-is-in-no-sense-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/abused-as-we-abuse-it-at-present-dramatic-art-is-in-no-sense-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```