Art Quote by Cormac McCarthy
“I don't know what of our culture is going to survive, or if we survive. If you look at the Greek plays, they're really good. And there's just a handful of them. Well, how good would they be if there were 2,500 of them? But that's the future looking back at us. Anything you can think of, there's going to be millions of them. Just the sheer number of things will devalue them. I don't care whether it's art, literature, poetry or drama, whatever. The sheer volume of it will wash it out. I mean, if you had thousands of Greek plays to read, would they be that good? I don't think so.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, 2015
The abundance of cultural works will dilute their impact, making it hard for any single piece to stand out.
In simple terms: Too much art devalues each piece.
Key Takeaway
Focus on creating truly exceptional work.
Themes
culture
value
overproduction
legacy
quality
Mood
concerned
reflective
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- publishing
- media consumption
- education
- curation
Key Concepts
cultural saturation
valuation
mass production
Questions to Reflect On
- How can creators ensure lasting significance?
- What criteria should we use to judge cultural value?
A Different Perspective
Quality may be overlooked amid sheer quantity.
