--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A primary function of art and thought is…" description: "\"A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the environmental sense and to permit him to sta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png" --- # A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the… ![“A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the environmental sense and to permit him to stand beyond it in an autonomy of perception and judgment.” quote by Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png) > “A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the environmental sense and to permit him to stand beyond it in an autonomy of perception and judgment.” [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) This quote is also attributed to [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) in other sources. Attributions for famous quotes are often disputed. ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art and thought free individuals from cultural constraints, allowing autonomous perception and judgment. **In simple terms:** Art liberates people from cultural tyranny, enabling independent thought. Key Takeaway Embrace creative expression to expand personal autonomy. Themes art freedom autonomy perception Mood inspirational thought‑provoking Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - education - creative practice - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does art challenge your cultural assumptions? - In what ways can independent judgment be balanced with social responsibility? A Different Perspective May overlook the role of community in shaping identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-thought-1295734/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-environmental-1908083/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Function Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function-art-1157700/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Liberate Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberate-individual-1908081/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Permit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permit/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought Liberate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-liberate-5613540/) [Tyranny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tyranny/) ## Related quotes > [A primary function of art andthought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the environmental sense and to permit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-trilling/a-primary-function-of-art-andthought-is-to-liberate-the-individual/) [Lionel Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-trilling/) > [“Any thought that abandons unity glorifies diversity. And diversity is the home of art. The only thought to liberate the mind is that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/any-thought-that-abandons-unity-glorifies-diversity-and-diversity-is/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Responsibility and danger do not tend to free or stimulate the average person's mind- rather the contrary; but wherever they do liberate an individual's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/responsibility-and-danger-do-not-tend-to-free-or-stimulate-the/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [The new school of art and thought does indeed wear an air of audacity, and breaks out everywhere into blasphemies, as if it required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-new-school-of-art-and-thought-does-indeed-wear-an-air-of-audacity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She had never seen me draw–because not drawing and forgetting everything I knew about art, I thought, was the magic key to my becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/she-had-never-seen-me-draw-because-not-drawing-and-forgetting/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was born into a world of art. I always thought that in life, you breathe, you eat, you go to sleep and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-picasso/i-was-born-into-a-world-of-art-i-always-thought-that-in-life-you/) [Paloma Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-picasso/) > [“Art is your thought leaping. Art is your mind dancing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/art-is-your-thought-leaping-art-is-your-mind-dancing/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I remember Francis Bacon would say that he felt he was giving art what he thought it previously lacked. With me, it's what Yeats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian-freud/i-remember-francis-bacon-would-say-that-he-felt-he-was-giving-art/) [Lucian Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian-freud/) > [Most of the criticism of my work was pretty good, but occasionally it would not be. And I just sort of felt that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/most-of-the-criticism-of-my-work-was-pretty-good-but-occasionally-it/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [To me, literature is a calling, even a kind of salvation. It connects me with an enterprise that is over 2,000 years old. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/to-me-literature-is-a-calling-even-a-kind-of-salvation-it-connects-me/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [If you follow the process of a thought - any thought, not just about art - the thought changes. It has to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-bleckner/if-you-follow-the-process-of-a-thought-any-thought-not-just-about-art/) [Ross Bleckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-bleckner/) > [“...an acquaintance with the great works of art and thought is the only real insurance against the barbarism of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-wilson/an-acquaintance-with-the-great-works-of-art-and-thought-is-the-only/) [Edmund Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-wilson/) > [To me the most important thing in a piece of art is the thought. Technique is totally secondary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bateman/to-me-the-most-important-thing-in-a-piece-of-art-is-the-thought/) [Robert Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bateman/) > [If art doesn't require an audience, can an intimate conversation be a work of art? Can a thought be a work of art? Maybe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/if-art-doesn-t-require-an-audience-can-an-intimate-conversation-be-a/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [The number one problem in academia today is not ignorant students but ignorant professors, who have substituted narrow "expertise" and "theoretical sophistication" (a preposterous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-number-one-problem-in-academia-today-is-not-ignorant-students-but/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) ## More by Beverly Sills > [There is something in me-I just can't stand to admit defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-is-something-in-me-i-just-can-t-stand-to-admit-defeat/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [My voice had a long, nonstop career. It deserves to be put to bed with quiet and dignity, not yanked out every once in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/my-voice-had-a-long-nonstop-career-it-deserves-to-be-put-to-bed-with/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [“Any excess in life is a substitute for something that's missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/any-excess-in-life-is-a-substitute-for-something-that-s-missing/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [This joyfulness that I felt when I sang, and this need to communicate with people, these are my two strongest points. I've always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/this-joyfulness-that-i-felt-when-i-sang-and-this-need-to-communicate/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [The Lourie Center eases the burden of children and their families through early intervention and diagnoses and treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/the-lourie-center-eases-the-burden-of-children-and-their-families/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [Opera is music AND drama. I'm prepared to sacrifice the beautiful note for the meaningful sound any time... I can make a pretty tone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/opera-is-music-and-drama-i-m-prepared-to-sacrifice-the-beautiful-note/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I know that anybody who does all this and doesn't have to, everything thinks she's very driven. The truth is, I enjoy it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-know-that-anybody-who-does-all-this-and-doesn-t-have-to-everything/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I've always tried to be cheerful, because I think people who whine are boring, and I never could tolerate bores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-ve-always-tried-to-be-cheerful-because-i-think-people-who-whine-are/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [The press frequently sneers at the hype devoted to a superstar, but the press itself is responsible for all the hype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/the-press-frequently-sneers-at-the-hype-devoted-to-a-superstar-but/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [There is no short cut to a place worth going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-is-no-short-cut-to-a-place-worth-going/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [There were times in my career ... when I felt like a trapeze artist doing dangerous somersaults without a net underneath. When you execute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-were-times-in-my-career-when-i-felt-like-a-trapeze-artist-doing/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [Anger begins with folly, and ends with repentance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/anger-begins-with-folly-and-ends-with-repentance/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/you-may-be-disappointed-if-you-fail-but-you-are-doomed-if-you-don-t/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I love Massenet - 'Manon' had been a wonderful role for me - and the music he wrote for 'Thais' is quite enjoyable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-love-massenet-manon-had-been-a-wonderful-role-for-me-and-the-music/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [I can't be happy every day but I can be cheerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/i-can-t-be-happy-every-day-but-i-can-be-cheerful/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) [Explore all 57 Beverly Sills quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the environmental sense and to permit him to stand beyond it in an autonomy of perception and judgment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beverly Sills" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is-to-liberate-the-individual/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is-to-liberate-the-individual/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/beverly-sills-11881_art_a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is_3191853.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A primary function of art and thought is to liberate the individual from the tyranny of his culture in the…” — Beverly Sills", "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": "Beverly Sills", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A primary function of art and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is-to-liberate-the-individual/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/a-primary-function-of-art-and-thought-is-to-liberate-the-individual/#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 } } ] } ```