--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The arts are the only things that…" description: "\"The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative. ... They are essential to our comprehension of consc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/edward-albee-1684_animal_the-arts-are-the-only-things-that-separa_2449402.png" --- # The arts are the only things that separate us from the… ![“The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative. ... They are essential to our comprehension of consciousness and ourselves.” quote by Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/edward-albee-1684_animal_the-arts-are-the-only-things-that-separa_2449402.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/edward-albee-1684_animal_the-arts-are-the-only-things-that-separa_2449402.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/610/edward-albee-1684_animal_the-arts-are-the-only-things-that-separa_2449402.png) > “The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative. ... They are essential to our comprehension of consciousness and ourselves.” [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The arts are essential, not decorative; they shape our understanding of consciousness and self, distinguishing humans from animals. **In simple terms:** Arts are vital for self‑knowledge. Key Takeaway Cultivate artistic experiences. Themes creativity human nature consciousness self‑understanding Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - therapy - personal growth - cultural critique Key Concepts aesthetics philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What role does art play in your self‑discovery? - How can you support art that enlightens? A Different Perspective Art can be misused for propaganda, losing its essential truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-arts-558364/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts/) [Arts Decorative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts-decorative-336365/) [Arts Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts-things-558365/) [Comprehension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comprehension/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Essentials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essentials/) ## Related quotes > [“We should remember that all the arts are fine arts and all the arts decorative arts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/we-should-remember-that-all-the-arts-are-fine-arts-and-all-the-arts/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Wall-to-wall masterpieces, after all, ought to be preferred to wall-to-wall decorative arts, even if the decorative arts are of the highest quality peppered and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-alsop/wall-to-wall-masterpieces-after-all-ought-to-be-preferred-to-wall-to/) [Joseph Alsop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-alsop/) > [The Whole Business of Man is The Arts, & All Things Common.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-whole-business-of-man-is-the-arts-all-things-common/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [In the fine arts, as in many other things, we know well only what we have not learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/in-the-fine-arts-as-in-many-other-things-we-know-well-only-what-we/) [Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/) > [Funding for sports (and the arts) are often the first things facing the chop in difficult times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/funding-for-sports-and-the-arts-are-often-the-first-things-facing-the/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [I must make MAGICK the essential factor in the life of ALL. 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Good, better, best, bested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/dashed-hopes-and-good-intentions-good-better-best-bested/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Writing has got to be an act of discovery…I write to find out what I'm thinking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/writing-has-got-to-be-an-act-of-discovery-i-write-to-find-out-what-i/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I'm back in fashion again for a while now. But I imagine that three or four years from now I'll be out again. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The arts are the only things that separate us from the other animals. The arts are not decorative. ... 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