---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What art should be about,' they will say…"
description: "\"What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing exquisite and resonant truths about the human condition.' Well, to be honest - no, it shouldn’t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png"
---

#  What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing…

![“What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing exquisite and resonant truths about the human condition.' Well, to be honest - no, it shouldn’t. I mean, it can occasionally, if it wants to; but really, how many penetrating insights to human nature do you need in one lifetime? Two? Three?…” quote by Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png)

> “What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing exquisite and resonant truths about the human condition.' Well, to be honest - no, it shouldn’t. I mean, it can occasionally, if it wants to; but really, how many penetrating insights to human nature do you need in one lifetime? Two? Three? Once you’ve realised that no one else has a clue what they’re doing, either, and that love can be totally pointless, any further insights into human nature just start getting depressing really.”

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

## About This Quote

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

Art need not be confined to delivering profound truths; overemphasis on insight can make it bleak and burdensome.

**In simple terms:** Art can be simple, not always deep.

Key Takeaway

Embrace art for joy, not just insight.

Themes

art human nature truth meaning depression

Mood

thoughtful critical reflective

Type

philosophical opinions commentary

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative practice
- art criticism
- mental health
- cultural commentary

Key Concepts

existentialism authenticity creative freedom

Questions to Reflect On

- What role should art play in everyday life?
- How can we balance depth with enjoyment?

A Different Perspective

Insisting on deep insight may alienate audiences and stifle creativity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Clue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clue/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Exquisite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exquisite/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Insights Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insights-human-2680514/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Pointless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pointless/) [Revealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revealing/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths/) [Truths Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truths-human-552563/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/)

## Related quotes

> [The great truths of human life do not spring new born to each new generation. They derive from long experience. They are the gathered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-osborn/the-great-truths-of-human-life-do-not-spring-new-born-to-each-new-2/)

[Frederick Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-osborn/)

> [The great truths of human life do not spring new born to each new generation. They derive from long experience. They are the gathered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-osborn/the-great-truths-of-human-life-do-not-spring-new-born-to-each-new/)

[Frederick Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-osborn/)

> [Because we're always more woundable when caught at exactly the time where we're in the mood for that particular product or service - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-lindstrom/because-we-re-always-more-woundable-when-caught-at-exactly-the-time/)

[Martin Lindstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-lindstrom/)

> [I don't want children anyway,' Caz says. 'So I'm getting nothing out of this whatsoever. I want my entire reproductive system taken out, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-don-t-want-children-anyway-caz-says-so-i-m-getting-nothing-out-of/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [Poetry is the exquisite expression of exquisite impressions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philibert-joseph-roux/poetry-is-the-exquisite-expression-of-exquisite-impressions/)

[Philibert Joseph Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philibert-joseph-roux/)

> [Conversation in its happiest development is a link, equally exquisite and adequate, between mind and mind, a system by which men approach one another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/conversation-in-its-happiest-development-is-a-link-equally-exquisite/)

[Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/)

> [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [Life, Lady Stutfield, is simply a mauvais quart d'heure made up of exquisite moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-lady-stutfield-is-simply-a-mauvais-quart-d-heure-made-up-of/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [But to be able to kiss someone you love when you're fully and completely in control of yourself and know who you are...it's exquisite.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/but-to-be-able-to-kiss-someone-you-love-when-you-re-fully-and/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [“Her features were exquisite perfection, carved by nature with obvious care and never altered by the harshness of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/her-features-were-exquisite-perfection-carved-by-nature-with-obvious/)

[Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/)

> [“The bedroom was larger than our entire cottage. Its walls were pale green, delicately sketched with patterns of gold, and the mouldings were golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/the-bedroom-was-larger-than-our-entire-cottage-its-walls-were-pale/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/)

[Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/)

> [Coral reefs represent some of the worlds most spectacular beauty spots, but they are also the foundation of marine life: without them many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheherazade-goldsmith/coral-reefs-represent-some-of-the-worlds-most-spectacular-beauty/)

[Sheherazade Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheherazade-goldsmith/)

> [Art is beauty, the perpetual invention of detail, the choice of words, the exquisite care of execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/art-is-beauty-the-perpetual-invention-of-detail-the-choice-of-words/)

[Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/)

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

## More by Caitlin Moran

> [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“You can tell whether some misogynistic societal pressure is being exerted on women by calmly enquiring, ‘And are the men doing this, as well?’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-can-tell-whether-some-misogynistic-societal-pressure-is-being/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [You wanted to become a doctor to help people and feel better at the end of your job, I think, watching them, as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/you-wanted-to-become-a-doctor-to-help-people-and-feel-better-at-the/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [I think loads of women have this idea that their life is going to start at some point, once they've busted all these problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-think-loads-of-women-have-this-idea-that-their-life-is-going-to/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [When you've got a mother who's given birth to eight children, you know, often without any kind of medical intervention - just she gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-ve-got-a-mother-who-s-given-birth-to-eight-children-you-know/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [I’m neither ‘pro-women’ nor ‘anti-men’. I’m just ‘Thumbs up for the six billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-m-neither-pro-women-nor-anti-men-i-m-just-thumbs-up-for-the-six/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [The doughy-faced woman has been forced to sit on the sidelines of culture for too long, and it's now time for us to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-doughy-faced-woman-has-been-forced-to-sit-on-the-sidelines-of/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“The more women argue, loudly, against feminism, the more they both prove it exists and that they enjoy its hard-won privileges.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-more-women-argue-loudly-against-feminism-the-more-they-both-prove/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“...it's technically impossible for a woman to argue against feminism. Without feminism you wouldn't be allowed to have a debate on a woman's place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/it-s-technically-impossible-for-a-woman-to-argue-against-feminism/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“But if there is to be a fifth wave of feminism, I would hope that the main thing that distinguishes it from all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/but-if-there-is-to-be-a-fifth-wave-of-feminism-i-would-hope-that-the/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [Why on earth have I, because I'm a woman, got to be nice to everyone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/why-on-earth-have-i-because-i-m-a-woman-got-to-be-nice-to-everyone/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [The sort of the template of being a mother is that you're endlessly giving to the point of exhaustion. You know, that's amazing if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/the-sort-of-the-template-of-being-a-mother-is-that-you-re-endlessly/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“Ha egyszerűen őszintén vállaljuk azt, hogy kik vagyunk, a csatát félig megnyertük. Ha szarul érzed magad mindattól, amit a magazinokban és a lapokban olvasol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/ha-egyszer-en-szint-n-v-llaljuk-azt-hogy-kik-vagyunk-a-csat-t-f-lig/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [“A szőr a női lét egyik legelső és legnagyobb gondja. Hívatlanul jelenik meg, úgyhogy döntést kell hozni róla – ami magunknak és a külvilágnak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/a-sz-r-a-n-i-l-t-egyik-legels-s-legnagyobb-gondja-h-vatlanul-jelenik/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [When you talk to a young teenage girl, they're just full of self-loathing. The reason they feel self-loathing is they don't feel normal. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/when-you-talk-to-a-young-teenage-girl-they-re-just-full-of-self/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

[Explore all 306 Caitlin Moran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

## 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": "What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing exquisite and resonant truths about the human condition.' Well, to be honest - no, it shouldn’t. I mean, it can occasionally, if it wants to; but really, how many penetrating insights to human nature do you need in one lifetime? Two? Three? Once you’ve realised that no one else has a clue what they’re doing, either, and that love can be totally pointless, any further insights into human nature just start getting depressing really.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Caitlin Moran"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-is-revealing-exquisite-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-is-revealing-exquisite-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/caitlin-moran-865_art_what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-i_2694086.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What art should be about,' they will say, 'is revealing exquisite and resonant truths about the human…” — Caitlin Moran",
                "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": "Caitlin Moran",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What art should be about,' they...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-is-revealing-exquisite-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/what-art-should-be-about-they-will-say-is-revealing-exquisite-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
