--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was inspired by the marvelous example…" description: "\"I was inspired by the marvelous example of Giacometti, the great sculptor. He always said that his dream was to do a bust so small that it could enter ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/elie-wiesel-341_artist_i-was-inspired-by-the-marvelous-example_2872822.jpg" --- # I was inspired by the marvelous example of Giacometti, the… ![“I was inspired by the marvelous example of Giacometti, the great sculptor. He always said that his dream was to do a bust so small that it could enter a matchbook, but so heavy that no one could lift it. That's what a good book should be.” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/elie-wiesel-341_artist_i-was-inspired-by-the-marvelous-example_2872822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/elie-wiesel-341_artist_i-was-inspired-by-the-marvelous-example_2872822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/295/elie-wiesel-341_artist_i-was-inspired-by-the-marvelous-example_2872822.jpg) > “I was inspired by the marvelous example of Giacometti, the great sculptor. He always said that his dream was to do a bust so small that it could enter a matchbook, but so heavy that no one could lift it. That's what a good book should be.” [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A good book should be as small yet weighty as a bust that fits a matchbook but cannot be lifted, illustrating profound impact despite modest size. **In simple terms:** Great books are compact but carry immense weight. Key Takeaway Value depth over size in literature. Themes literature impact depth conciseness artistic metaphor Mood thoughtful reflective inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading clubs - book reviews - academic courses - personal study - library selections Key Concepts symbolic weight minimalist power lasting influence Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess a book’s lasting significance? - What makes a small work feel powerful? A Different Perspective Not all readers appreciate subtlety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) ## Related quotes > [As paradoxical as it may seem a great sculptor is as much a colourist as the best painter, or rather the best engraver. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-rodin/as-paradoxical-as-it-may-seem-a-great-sculptor-is-as-much-a-colourist/) [Auguste Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-rodin/) > [This world is a great sculptor's shop. We are the statues and there is a rumor going round the shop that some of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/this-world-is-a-great-sculptor-s-shop-we-are-the-statues-and-there-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Richard Serra, the great sculptor, personifies an artist for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-rose/richard-serra-the-great-sculptor-personifies-an-artist-for-me/) [Charlie Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-rose/) > [No person who is not a great sculptor or painter can be an architect. If he is not a sculptor or painter, he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/no-person-who-is-not-a-great-sculptor-or-painter-can-be-an-architect/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there’s a rumor going around the shop that some of us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-world-is-a-great-sculptor-s-shop-we-are-the-statues-and-there-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I got a tooth bust by somebody who decided they didn't like me and I thought the moustache hid a scar on my lip.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ainsworth/i-got-a-tooth-bust-by-somebody-who-decided-they-didn-t-like-me-and-i/) [Bob Ainsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ainsworth/) > [Fortunately, I knew the cardinal rule of getting on with one's fellow cooks. It applies in any kitchen and can be summed up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/fortunately-i-knew-the-cardinal-rule-of-getting-on-with-one-s-fellow-2/) [Jacques Pepin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/) > [A 41-inch bust and a lot of perseverance will get you more than a cup of coffee - a lot more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-mansfield/a-41-inch-bust-and-a-lot-of-perseverance-will-get-you-more-than-a-cup/) [Jayne Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-mansfield/) > [I started to play the guitar for a couple of years, which was fun. I still bring it out once in a while, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/i-started-to-play-the-guitar-for-a-couple-of-years-which-was-fun-i/) [Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/) > [In falling markets, there is nothing that has not happened before. 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Because of my investment, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-tan/one-day-we-are-a-hero-another-day-we-are-a-zero-without-me-cardiff/) [Vincent Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-tan/) > [Flip that ! Bust that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/flip-that-bust-that/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [Trust me I throw this back, she bust it like that Peter Pan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/trust-me-i-throw-this-back-she-bust-it-like-that-peter-pan/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) ## More by Elie Wiesel > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [One more stab to the heart, one more reason to hate. One less reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/one-more-stab-to-the-heart-one-more-reason-to-hate-one-less-reason-to/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/what-all-these-victims-need-above-all-is-to-know-that-they-are-not/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I feel that books, just like people, have a destiny. Some invite sorrow, others joy, some both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-feel-that-books-just-like-people-have-a-destiny-some-invite-sorrow/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [ \[Chinese\] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soon-be-in-a-few-years-two/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Did I write it so as not to go mad or, on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-i-write-it-so-as-not-to-go-mad-or-on-the-contrary-to-go-mad-in/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-the-story-of-cain-and-abel-why-were-we-given-that-story/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/mankind-must-remember-that-peace-is-not-god-s-gift-to-his-creatures/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [The world? The world is not interested in us. Today, everything is possible, even the crematoria...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/the-world-the-world-is-not-interested-in-us-today-everything-is/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [every question possessed a power that was lost in the answer . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-question-possessed-a-power-that-was-lost-in-the-answer/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [His cold eyes stared at me. At last, he said wearily: "I have more faith in Hitler than in anyone else. He alone has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/his-cold-eyes-stared-at-me-at-last-he-said-wearily-i-have-more-faith/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [As you know, I describe Shirat ha-Yam as part of an epic story that has qualities of history and which also has qualities of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/as-you-know-i-describe-shirat-ha-yam-as-part-of-an-epic-story-that/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Every Jew, somewhere in his being, should set apart a zone of hate -healthy virile hate- for what the German personifies and for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/every-jew-somewhere-in-his-being-should-set-apart-a-zone-of-hate/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“Did hope help us to survive, or not? Too many families clung to it all through the war, thus falling into the enemy's trap.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/did-hope-help-us-to-survive-or-not-too-many-families-clung-to-it-all/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) [Explore all 662 Elie Wiesel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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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This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was inspired by the marvelous example of Giacometti, the great sculptor. He always said that his dream was to do a bust so small that it could enter a matchbook, but so heavy that no one could lift it. 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