--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ultimate judgment of a work of art…" description: "\"The ultimate judgment of a work of art, whether it be a masterpiece or a lesser event, must be solely in terms of its artistic success and not on Freud..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/edward-albee-1684_art_the-ultimate-judgment-of-a-work-of-art-w_2908794.png" --- # The ultimate judgment of a work of art, whether it be a… ![“The ultimate judgment of a work of art, whether it be a masterpiece or a lesser event, must be solely in terms of its artistic success and not on Freudian guesswork.” quote by Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/edward-albee-1684_art_the-ultimate-judgment-of-a-work-of-art-w_2908794.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/edward-albee-1684_art_the-ultimate-judgment-of-a-work-of-art-w_2908794.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb2/edward-albee-1684_art_the-ultimate-judgment-of-a-work-of-art-w_2908794.png) > “The ultimate judgment of a work of art, whether it be a masterpiece or a lesser event, must be solely in terms of its artistic success and not on Freudian guesswork.” [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. Art should be judged solely on its artistic merit, not on psychological speculation. **In simple terms:** Judge art by its success, not psychoanalysis. Key Takeaway Focus on artistic quality. Themes art criticism evaluation merit Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery reviews - academic papers - public discourse Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is psychoanalysis useful? - How to balance merit and context? A Different Perspective Psychological context can enrich understanding of art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-masterpiece-730450/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Artistic Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic-success-2893543/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Guesswork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guesswork/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Judgment Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment-work-576050/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Ultimate Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-judgment-4177986/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/) ## Related quotes > [A hen's egg is, quite simply, a work of art, a masterpiece of design and construction with, it has to be said, brilliant packaging!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delia-smith/a-hen-s-egg-is-quite-simply-a-work-of-art-a-masterpiece-of-design-and/) [Delia Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delia-smith/) > [“The world to him no longer seemed a math equation but rather a complex piece of art, a masterpiece of things not easily understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/the-world-to-him-no-longer-seemed-a-math-equation-but-rather-a/) [K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/) > [There is no moment where you can rest and think: 'Wonderful, I have that job now. I'm going to spend five years here.' There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemence-poesy/there-is-no-moment-where-you-can-rest-and-think-wonderful-i-have-that/) [Clemence Poesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clemence-poesy/) > [One of the fundamental points about religious humility is you say you don't know about the ultimate judgment. It's beyond your judgment. And if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/one-of-the-fundamental-points-about-religious-humility-is-you-say-you/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [The fewer limitations the artist imposes on his work, the less chance he has for artistic success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-fewer-limitations-the-artist-imposes-on-his-work-the-less-chance/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [The artist... standing in the position of mediator between the world of his experience and the world of his dreams - 'a mediator, consequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/the-artist-standing-in-the-position-of-mediator-between-the-world-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Not all are called to be artists in the specific sense of the term. 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It's pure guesswork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-svensmark/those-who-are-absolutely-certain-that-the-rise-in-temperatures-is-due/) [Henrik Svensmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-svensmark/) > [A lot of English traditional music is guesswork anyway, so it's very difficult for people to be vehemently opposed to experimenting with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-spiers/a-lot-of-english-traditional-music-is-guesswork-anyway-so-it-s-very/) [John Spiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-spiers/) > [C++ is a language strongly optimized for liars and people who go by guesswork and ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-naggum/c-is-a-language-strongly-optimized-for-liars-and-people-who-go-by/) [Erik Naggum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-naggum/) > [“History is personal, Gwen understands that now. All you are seeing is what's before you, the rest is guesswork.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/history-is-personal-gwen-understands-that-now-all-you-are-seeing-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [The spirit of Christianity proclaims the brotherhood of the race and the meaning of that strong word has not been left to guesswork, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-spirit-of-christianity-proclaims-the-brotherhood-of-the-race-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) ## More by Edward Albee > [School curricula that ignore the arts produce highly educated Barbarians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/school-curricula-that-ignore-the-arts-produce-highly-educated/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [When people don't like the way a play ends, they're likely to blame the play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-people-don-t-like-the-way-a-play-ends-they-re-likely-to-blame/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [In a democracy you cannot stop public access to that art that will most misinform the people. You cannot stop people from being misinformed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/in-a-democracy-you-cannot-stop-public-access-to-that-art-that-will/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Creativity is magic. 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They determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/i-know-playwrights-who-like-to-kid-themselves-into-saying-that-their/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [The greatest problem with Irish Wolfhounds, though, is that they don't live very long: their great hearts give out. A good deal of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-greatest-problem-with-irish-wolfhounds-though-is-that-they-don-t/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Dashed hopes and good intentions. 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. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/i-m-back-in-fashion-again-for-a-while-now-but-i-imagine-that-three-or/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [What people really want in the theater is fantasy involvement and not reality involvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/what-people-really-want-in-the-theater-is-fantasy-involvement-and-not/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Art should never try to be popular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/art-should-never-try-to-be-popular/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) [Explore all 216 Edward Albee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) ## 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. 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