--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime" description: "\"At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime\" — Derek Mahon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg" --- # At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime ![“At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime” quote by Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg) > “At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime” [Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests that absurdity and greatness coexist, revealing depth within the trivial. **In simple terms:** Absurdity can hide greatness. Key Takeaway Look for depth in the mundane. Themes absurdity beauty paradox Mood contemplative wry Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - daily observations - art critique - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism aesthetic theory Questions to Reflect On - How does humor reveal truth? - When do you find beauty in the ridiculous? A Different Perspective The line may be too vague to pinpoint a specific source. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-ridiculous-1688050/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [Ridiculous Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous-sublime-1430496/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) ## Related quotes > [There's only a step from the sublime to the ridiculous, but there's no road leading from the ridiculous to the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lion-feuchtwanger/there-s-only-a-step-from-the-sublime-to-the-ridiculous-but-there-s-no/) [Lion Feuchtwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lion-feuchtwanger/) > [In a world of travail and cheap wine the ridiculous becomes sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sidran/in-a-world-of-travail-and-cheap-wine-the-ridiculous-becomes-sublime/) [Ben Sidran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sidran/) > [“Give me the ridiculous, because it's a gateway to the sublime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mach/give-me-the-ridiculous-because-it-s-a-gateway-to-the-sublime/) [Jeff Mach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mach/) > [When authors and critics talk of the sublime, they see not how nearly it borders on the ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/when-authors-and-critics-talk-of-the-sublime-they-see-not-how-nearly/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Only by chancing the ridiculous, can I hope for the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-defeo/only-by-chancing-the-ridiculous-can-i-hope-for-the-sublime/) [Jay DeFeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-defeo/) > [The sublime is only a step removed from the ridiculous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-sublime-is-only-a-step-removed-from-the-ridiculous/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Whatever is fitted in any sort to excite the ideas of pain and danger, that is to say, whatever is in any sort terrible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/whatever-is-fitted-in-any-sort-to-excite-the-ideas-of-pain-and-danger/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [You start out with the sublime and you end up in an alley jerking away for dear life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-start-out-with-the-sublime-and-you-end-up-in-an-alley-jerking/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [To bring the sublime into the mundane is the greatest challenge there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-bring-the-sublime-into-the-mundane-is-the-greatest-challenge-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sublime places gently move us to acknowledge limitations that we might otherwise encounter with anxiety or anger in the ordinary flow of events. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/sublime-places-gently-move-us-to-acknowledge-limitations-that-we/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Some of the things you say are sublime and monstrous at once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/some-of-the-things-you-say-are-sublime-and-monstrous-at-once/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Love is the suspension of reality in favor of the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-fry/love-is-the-suspension-of-reality-in-favor-of-the-sublime/) [Jeffrey Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-fry/) > [Beauty should be shared for it enhances our joys. To explore its mystery is to venture towards the sublime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-cornell/beauty-should-be-shared-for-it-enhances-our-joys-to-explore-its/) [Joseph Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-cornell/) > [It is not without trepidation that I have appropriated the codes of the Sublime and the Picturesque in my work. After all, serious photographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pfahl/it-is-not-without-trepidation-that-i-have-appropriated-the-codes-of/) [John Pfahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pfahl/) > [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/) ## More by Derek Mahon > [The little things that you saw with a child’s eye and that will never go away. That’s what consciousness is all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/the-little-things-that-you-saw-with-a-child-s-eye-and-that-will-never/) [Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) > [“Everything Is Going to Be All Right How should I not be glad to contemplate the clouds clearing beyond the dormer window and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/everything-is-going-to-be-all-right-how-should-i-not-be-glad-to/) [Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) > [“You with your light meter and relaxed itinerary, Let not our naive labours have been in vain!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/you-with-your-light-meter-and-relaxed-itinerary-let-not-our-naive/) [Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) > [It's practically my subject, my theme: solitude and community; the weirdness and terrors of solitude: the stifling and consolations of community. Also, the consolations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/it-s-practically-my-subject-my-theme-solitude-and-community-the/) [Derek Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) [Explore all 5 Derek Mahon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Derek Mahon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-sublime/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-sublime/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/derek-mahon-64000_heart_at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-subli_950148.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At the heart of the ridiculous, the sublime” — Derek Mahon", "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": "Derek Mahon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-mahon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "At the heart of the ridiculous,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-sublime/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-mahon/at-the-heart-of-the-ridiculous-the-sublime/#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 } } ] } ```