---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On the whole, our modern ritual is…"
description: "\"On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.\" — Erich Fromm"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg"
---

#  On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does…

![“On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.” quote by Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg)

> “On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.”

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern society’s rituals lack depth, failing to satisfy humanity’s innate desire for shared artistic and ceremonial experiences.

**In simple terms:** Contemporary rituals are shallow and don’t meet our need for collective art.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper, communal creative practices.

Themes

community art ritual modernity psychology

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- organizing festivals
- community art projects
- shared rituals
- cultural festivals

Key Concepts

collective consciousness cultural deficiency human needs

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we revive authentic communal art?
- What barriers prevent meaningful rituals today?

A Different Perspective

Even deep rituals can become commercialized, losing authenticity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Ritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ritual/)

## Related quotes

> [The need for the creation of collective art and ritual on a nonclerical basis is at least as important as literacy and higher education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-need-for-the-creation-of-collective-art-and-ritual-on-a/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [The hoarders, who are anxiously worried about losing something, are, psychologically speaking, the poor impoverished people, regardless of how much they have. Whoever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-hoarders-who-are-anxiously-worried-about-losing-something-are/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Wherever goodness lay, it did not lie in ritual, unthinking obeisance before a deity but rather, perhaps, in the slow clumsy, error-strewn working out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/wherever-goodness-lay-it-did-not-lie-in-ritual-unthinking-obeisance/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Wal-Mart impoverished its own customer base. Google is facing exactly the same issue long-term, although not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/wal-mart-impoverished-its-own-customer-base-google-is-facing-exactly/)

[Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/)

> [Like contemporary poetry, philosophy is one of those things, especially at the beginning stages, most people would rather do than study - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/like-contemporary-poetry-philosophy-is-one-of-those-things-especially/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“Don’t let affluence make you impoverished of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bloom/don-t-let-affluence-make-you-impoverished-of-god/)

[Jon Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bloom/)

> [The impoverished always try to keep moving, as if relocating might help. They ignore the reality that a new version of the same old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/the-impoverished-always-try-to-keep-moving-as-if-relocating-might/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I don't see evidence of America being a poorer country than it was 20 years ago. I've seen impoverished devastation. I've seen places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-don-t-see-evidence-of-america-being-a-poorer-country-than-it-was-20/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [I covered the Lebanese civil war. I could see a place that had once been prosperous and now was impoverished. I'm not seeing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-covered-the-lebanese-civil-war-i-could-see-a-place-that-had-once/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [The court's recent understanding of religion as a private matter for individuals has plainly become malnourished and impoverished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-v-monsma/the-court-s-recent-understanding-of-religion-as-a-private-matter-for/)

Stephen V Monsma

> [All of us, poor &amp; rich alike, have been conditioned by our upbringings. Impoverished men &amp; women may become lulled into a state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-of-us-poor-rich-alike-have-been-conditioned-by-our-upbringings/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [When art is defined by Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, you've got a society that's impoverished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/when-art-is-defined-by-damien-hirst-and-jeff-koons-you-ve-got-a/)

[Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/)

> [There are none so impoverished as those who do not acknowledge the abundance of their lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/there-are-none-so-impoverished-as-those-who-do-not-acknowledge-the/)

[Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/)

> [We believe that a person who is impoverished temporally cannot blossom spiritually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-b-mcmullin/we-believe-that-a-person-who-is-impoverished-temporally-cannot/)

[Keith B. McMullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-b-mcmullin/)

## More by Erich Fromm

> [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/)

> [Only when man succeeds in developing his reason and love further than he has done so far, only when he can build a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/only-when-man-succeeds-in-developing-his-reason-and-love-further-than/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Freedom does not mean license.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/freedom-does-not-mean-license/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“It is hardly necessary to stress the fact that the ability to love as an act of giving depends on the character development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/it-is-hardly-necessary-to-stress-the-fact-that-the-ability-to-love-as/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [The pace of science forces the pace of technique. Theoretical physics forces atomic energy on us; the successful production of the fission bomb forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-pace-of-science-forces-the-pace-of-technique-theoretical-physics/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Well-being is possible to the degree to which one has overcome one's narcissism; to the degree to which one is open, responsive, sensitive, awake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/well-being-is-possible-to-the-degree-to-which-one-has-overcome-one-s/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“The wealth of data to be found in social and political life. The belief that people do not want to make sacrifices is notoriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-wealth-of-data-to-be-found-in-social-and-political-life-the/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [By equality, one once understood equality in the very same sense in which the Bible speaks of equality: that we are all equal, inasmuch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/by-equality-one-once-understood-equality-in-the-very-same-sense-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“Human beings had two basic orientations: HAVING and BEING HAVING: seeks to acquire, posses things even people BEING: focuses on the experience; exchanging, engaging,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/human-beings-had-two-basic-orientations-having-and-being-having-seeks/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“Most people are not even aware of their need to conform. They live under the illusion that they follow their own ideas and inclinations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/most-people-are-not-even-aware-of-their-need-to-conform-they-live/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Just as modern mass production requires the standardization of commodities, so the social process requires standardization of man, and this standardization is called equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/just-as-modern-mass-production-requires-the-standardization-of/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [To respect a person is not possible without knowing him; care and responsibility would be blind if they were not guided by knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/to-respect-a-person-is-not-possible-without-knowing-him-care-and/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Love is an active power in man; a power which breaks through the walls which separate man from his fellow men, which unite him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/love-is-an-active-power-in-man-a-power-which-breaks-through-the-walls/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [“Perhaps most trivial talk is a need to talk about oneself; hence, the never-ending subject of health and sickness, children, travel, successes, what one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/perhaps-most-trivial-talk-is-a-need-to-talk-about-oneself-hence-the/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

[Explore all 558 Erich Fromm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

## 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

> [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. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Erich Fromm"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impoverished-and-does-not-fulfill/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impoverished-and-does-not-fulfill/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/erich-fromm-367_art_on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impove_1511515.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.” — Erich Fromm",
                "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": "Erich Fromm",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "On the whole, our modern ritual...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impoverished-and-does-not-fulfill/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/on-the-whole-our-modern-ritual-is-impoverished-and-does-not-fulfill/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
