Aesthetic Quote by George Steiner
“The capacity for imaginative reflex, for moral risk in any human being is not limitless; on the contrary, it can be rapidly absorbed by fictions, and thus the cry in the poem may come to sound louder, more urgent, more real than the cry in the street outside. The death in the novel may move us more potently than the death in the next room. Thus there may be a covert, betraying link between the cultivation of aesthetic response and the potential of personal inhumanity.”
About This Quote
Source Book: After Babel, George Steiner, 1975
Our imagination can be hijacked by fiction, making artistic suffering feel more intense than real suffering, which can dull our moral sensitivity.
In simple terms: Fiction can make imagined pain seem more real than actual pain, reducing empathy for real suffering.
Key Takeaway
Beware of letting art replace real-world compassion.
Themes
a
empathy
fiction
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
philosophical
critical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- Reading novels
- watching movies
- discussing art
- teaching literature
Key Concepts
Aesthetic response
moral risk
humanity
Questions to Reflect On
- How does art shape your moral priorities?
- Can you balance aesthetic appreciation with real-world empathy?
A Different Perspective
Real suffering may be ignored when fictional trauma dominates emotional focus.
![“To give [the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba] even covert support is on a par with the hypocrisy and cynicism for which the United States is constantly denouncing the Soviet Union in the United Nations and elsewhere. This point will not be lost on the rest of the world, nor on our own consciences.” quote by J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/48f/j-william-fulbright-7682_bay-of-pigs_to-give-the-bay-of-pigs-invasion-of-cuba_203573.jpg)
