---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has…"
description: "\"If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff Of this drab canvas we accept as life - It is because we are not bold ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg"
---

#  If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing…

![“If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff Of this drab canvas we accept as life - It is because we are not bold enough!” quote by Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg)

> “If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff Of this drab canvas we accept as life - It is because we are not bold enough!”

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker laments that life’s harshness stems from our lack of daring to create beauty from suffering.

**In simple terms:** Life feels drab because we avoid boldness.

Key Takeaway

Embrace bold creativity.

Themes

creativity boldness existence

Mood

defiant reflective

Type

philosophical poetic

When to use this quote

- art criticism
- personal growth
- social commentary

Key Concepts

existentialism aestheticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can bold art transform daily life?
- What risks accompany bold expression?

A Different Perspective

Boldness alone may not solve systemic suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Arson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arson/) [Arson Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arson-poison-3358421/) [Canvas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canvas/) [Drab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drab-238525/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Knives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knives/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Bold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-bold-905630/) [Patterns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Rape Arson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape-arson-3358420/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Stuff Drab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff-drab-3358422/)

## Related quotes

> [Whatever we're engage in in life, be bold! That's one way of getting through life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/whatever-we-re-engage-in-in-life-be-bold-that-s-one-way-of-getting/)

[Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/)

> [As you get ready to walk out under the bright lights of the improvisational stage of the rest of your life be bold. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-costolo/as-you-get-ready-to-walk-out-under-the-bright-lights-of-the/)

[Dick Costolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-costolo/)

> [“Don't live your life in fear thinking that you will disappoint everyone. Always remember that not everyone will agree with the things you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-m-edwards/don-t-live-your-life-in-fear-thinking-that-you-will-disappoint/)

[Marcia M Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-m-edwards/)

> [“The gold of life is for those bold and brave in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/the-gold-of-life-is-for-those-bold-and-brave-in-life/)

[Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/)

> [A musical audience is at best uninspiring, at worst definitely drab. ... Respectability hangs like a pall over the orchestra and the boxes; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/a-musical-audience-is-at-best-uninspiring-at-worst-definitely-drab/)

[Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/)

> [“If Rome, a city of the vulgar living, had been depressing after Greece, London, a city of the drab dead, was fifty times worse. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/if-rome-a-city-of-the-vulgar-living-had-been-depressing-after-greece/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [Leo knew next to nothing about governesses, save for the drab creatures in novels, who tended to fall in love with the lord of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/leo-knew-next-to-nothing-about-governesses-save-for-the-drab/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [“The average novel invariably reads like a detective's report. It is drab and tedious because it is never objective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/the-average-novel-invariably-reads-like-a-detective-s-report-it-is/)

[Natsume Soseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/)

> [The height of the mountaintop is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-height-of-the-mountaintop-is-measured-by-the-drab-drudgery-of-the/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Drab?" Soldier yelled. "I'll give you drab. Beat her, would you? Beat my wife? I'll feed your head to the vultures, you snotty little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hunter/drab-soldier-yelled-i-ll-give-you-drab-beat-her-would-you-beat-my/)

[Kim Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hunter/)

> [My office. It's drab and boring but quiet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/my-office-it-s-drab-and-boring-but-quiet/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [“If Rome, was a city of vulgar living, had been depressing after Greece, London, a city of the drab dead, was fifty times worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/if-rome-was-a-city-of-vulgar-living-had-been-depressing-after-greece/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [I have been flooded with color on the inside, drab on the outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-truitt/i-have-been-flooded-with-color-on-the-inside-drab-on-the-outside/)

[Anne Truitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-truitt/)

> [The writing career is not a romantic one. The writer's life may be colorful, but his work itself is rather drab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/the-writing-career-is-not-a-romantic-one-the-writer-s-life-may-be/)

[Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/)

> [Don't be drab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-leonard/don-t-be-drab/)

[Thomas Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-leonard/)

## More by Charles Baudelaire

> [Who would dare assign to art the sterile function of imitating nature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/who-would-dare-assign-to-art-the-sterile-function-of-imitating-nature/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-was-convincing-the-world-he/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“This life is a hospital in which each patient is possessed by the desire to change beds. One wants to suffer in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/this-life-is-a-hospital-in-which-each-patient-is-possessed-by-the/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-long-piece-of-work-except-one-that-you/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [But the true voyagers are only those who leave Just to be leaving; hearts light, like balloons, They never turn aside from their fatality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-the-true-voyagers-are-only-those-who-leave-just-to-be-leaving/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Amer savoir, celui qu'on tire du voyage! Bitter is the knowledge gained in travelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/amer-savoir-celui-qu-on-tire-du-voyage-bitter-is-the-knowledge-gained/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“Car je cherche le vide, el le noir, el le nu!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/car-je-cherche-le-vide-el-le-noir-el-le-nu/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“I can barely conceive a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/i-can-barely-conceive-a-type-of-beauty-in-which-there-is-no-melancholy/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [The vices of man, as full of horror as one might suppose them to be, contain the proof (if in nothing else but their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-vices-of-man-as-full-of-horror-as-one-might-suppose-them-to-be/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Multitude, solitude: equal and interchangeable terms for the active and prolific poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/multitude-solitude-equal-and-interchangeable-terms-for-the-active-and/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Any healthy man can go without food for two days - but not without poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/any-healthy-man-can-go-without-food-for-two-days-but-not-without/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Drink wine, drink poetry, drink virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/drink-wine-drink-poetry-drink-virtue/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Man loves man so much that when he flees the city, it is still to seek the crowd, that is, to rebuild the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/man-loves-man-so-much-that-when-he-flees-the-city-it-is-still-to-seek/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“—But why is she weeping? She, the perfect beauty, Who could put at her feet the conquered human race, What secret malady gnaws at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-why-is-she-weeping-she-the-perfect-beauty-who-could-put-at-her/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

[Explore all 454 Charles Baudelaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

[Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff Of this drab canvas we accept as life - It is because we are not bold enough!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Baudelaire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has-wove-no-pleasing-patterns-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has-wove-no-pleasing-patterns-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e1/charles-baudelaire-473_accepting_if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has_1977775.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If rape or arson, poison or the knife Has wove no pleasing patterns in the stuff Of this drab canvas we…” — Charles Baudelaire",
                "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": "Charles Baudelaire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If rape or arson, poison or...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has-wove-no-pleasing-patterns-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/if-rape-or-arson-poison-or-the-knife-has-wove-no-pleasing-patterns-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
