--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... beauty, like ecstasy, has always been…" description: "\"... beauty, like ecstasy, has always been hostile to the commonplace. And the commonplace, under its popular label of the normal,has been the supreme a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/ellen-glasgow-1897_authority_beauty-like-ecstasy-has-always-been-host_1722345.jpg" --- # ... beauty, like ecstasy, has always been hostile to the… ![“... beauty, like ecstasy, has always been hostile to the commonplace. And the commonplace, under its popular label of the normal,has been the supreme authority for Homo sapiens since the days when he was probably arboreal.” quote by Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/ellen-glasgow-1897_authority_beauty-like-ecstasy-has-always-been-host_1722345.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/ellen-glasgow-1897_authority_beauty-like-ecstasy-has-always-been-host_1722345.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/ellen-glasgow-1897_authority_beauty-like-ecstasy-has-always-been-host_1722345.jpg) > “... beauty, like ecstasy, has always been hostile to the commonplace. And the commonplace, under its popular label of the normal,has been the supreme authority for Homo sapiens since the days when he was probably arboreal.” [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that extraordinary beauty and intense experiences clash with ordinary, accepted norms, which dominate human thought. **In simple terms:** Beauty and ecstasy oppose everyday normality. Key Takeaway Recognize and value the extraordinary despite societal pressure. Themes beauty ecstasy norms authority human nature Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - art criticism - personal growth - cultural analysis - education - media commentary Key Concepts aesthetic conflict social conformity psychology of taste Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance appreciation for the extraordinary with everyday life? - Can societal norms suppress unique experiences? A Different Perspective The claim may overgeneralize the relationship between beauty and the ordinary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Ecstasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecstasy/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) [Mediocrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocrity/) [Real beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-beauty/) ## Related quotes > [Existence itself does not feel horrible; it feels like an ecstasy, rather, which we have only to be still to experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/existence-itself-does-not-feel-horrible-it-feels-like-an-ecstasy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Now I love the act of creating a new image. When everything comes together, it feels like ecstasy. It's like a climax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-sorrenti/now-i-love-the-act-of-creating-a-new-image-when-everything-comes/) [Mario Sorrenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-sorrenti/) > [As I grew older I became a drunk. Why? Because I like ecstasy of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/as-i-grew-older-i-became-a-drunk-why-because-i-like-ecstasy-of-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“My manners, abominable at times, can be sweet. As I grew older I became a drunk. Why? Because I like ecstasy of the mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/my-manners-abominable-at-times-can-be-sweet-as-i-grew-older-i-became/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The real beauty in my professional experience has been friendships and collaborations with filmmakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/the-real-beauty-in-my-professional-experience-has-been-friendships/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [We turn outward, attracted by the beauty we see in created things without realizing that they are only a reflection of the real beauty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernesto-cardenal/we-turn-outward-attracted-by-the-beauty-we-see-in-created-things/) [Ernesto Cardenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernesto-cardenal/) > [“Dying is beautiful- even the first time around, at the ripe old age of 20. It’s not easy most of the time, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-klein/dying-is-beautiful-even-the-first-time-around-at-the-ripe-old-age-of/) Norma Klein > [I believe it is only when one comes out of adversity, that one starts to see real beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-believe-it-is-only-when-one-comes-out-of-adversity-that-one-starts/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [“perhaps real beauty was something unrecognized by the conscious self, a work that was always in progress, a thing of being rather than seeing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/perhaps-real-beauty-was-something-unrecognized-by-the-conscious-self/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Truth is Bitter & It's the Real Beauty in Ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gollapalli-nithin-kumar/truth-is-bitter-it-s-the-real-beauty-in-ugliness/) Gollapalli Nithin Kumar > [“The song you write may be beautiful, the research you conceive may be beautiful, but you are the real beauty in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/the-song-you-write-may-be-beautiful-the-research-you-conceive-may-be/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [The real beauty - inside, it comes from the heart, where love lives. If not, even the most common facial features can not hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/the-real-beauty-inside-it-comes-from-the-heart-where-love-lives-if/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [The real beauty created by man never competes with the beauty of nature; but it only perfectly completes it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-real-beauty-created-by-man-never-competes-with-the-beauty-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Yes, I’ve seen that ad. She’s a real beauty.” “Her name is Kelli Ivarsson, and she is even more impressive in person, I assure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nolan/yes-i-ve-seen-that-ad-she-s-a-real-beauty-her-name-is-kelli-ivarsson/) [Mark Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nolan/) ## More by Ellen Glasgow > [Too much principle is often more harmful than too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/too-much-principle-is-often-more-harmful-than-too-little/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I have watchedmany literary fashions shoot up and blossom, and then fade and drop… Yet with the many that I have seen comeand go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-have-watchedmany-literary-fashions-shoot-up-and-blossom-and-then/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [After a day of rain the sun came out suddenly at five o'clock and threw a golden bar into the deep Victorian gloom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/after-a-day-of-rain-the-sun-came-out-suddenly-at-five-o-clock-and/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [What I hated even more than the conflict was the lurid spectacle of a world of unreason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/what-i-hated-even-more-than-the-conflict-was-the-lurid-spectacle-of-a/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Preserve, within a wild sanctuary, an inaccessible valley of reverie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/preserve-within-a-wild-sanctuary-an-inaccessible-valley-of-reverie/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [The attraction of horror is a mental, or even an intellectual, excitement, but the fascination of the repulsive, so noticeable incontemporary writing, can spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/the-attraction-of-horror-is-a-mental-or-even-an-intellectual/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I was always a feminist, for I liked intellectual revolt as much as I disliked physical violence. On the whole, I think women havelost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-was-always-a-feminist-for-i-liked-intellectual-revolt-as-much-as-i/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Although the primitive in art may be both interesting and impressive, as portrayed in American fiction it is conspicuous for dullness alone. Drab persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/although-the-primitive-in-art-may-be-both-interesting-and-impressive/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Do you know there is always a barrier between me and any man or woman who does not like dogs?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/do-you-know-there-is-always-a-barrier-between-me-and-any-man-or-woman/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [You look as if you lived on duty and it hadn't;t agreed with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/you-look-as-if-you-lived-on-duty-and-it-hadn-t-t-agreed-with-you/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [there are times when life surprises one, and anything may happen, even what one had hoped for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/there-are-times-when-life-surprises-one-and-anything-may-happen-even/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [Life may take away happiness. But it can't take away having had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/life-may-take-away-happiness-but-it-can-t-take-away-having-had-it/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [So long as one is able to pose one has still much to learn about suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/so-long-as-one-is-able-to-pose-one-has-still-much-to-learn-about/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [...I had grown up in a world that was dominated by immature age. Not by vigorous immaturity, but by immaturity that was old and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-had-grown-up-in-a-world-that-was-dominated-by-immature-age-not-by/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [I hated the things they believe in, the things they so innocently and charmingly pretended. I hated the sanctimonious piety that let people hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/i-hated-the-things-they-believe-in-the-things-they-so-innocently-and/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) [Explore all 200 Ellen Glasgow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) ## More Authority quotes > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/) [Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. 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