--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If an artist wants to use his mind for…" description: "\"If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work, cutting oneself off from society is a necessary thing\" — Glenn Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png" --- # If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work… ![“If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work, cutting oneself off from society is a necessary thing” quote by Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png) > “If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work, cutting oneself off from society is a necessary thing” [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative isolation can foster deep artistic focus, but may hinder social connection. **In simple terms:** Artists may need solitude for creativity. Key Takeaway Balance solitude with social engagement. Themes creativity solitude artistic process Mood reflective melancholic Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - writing - painting - musical composition - research - personal development Key Concepts psychology of creativity social dynamics artistic discipline Questions to Reflect On - Is solitude essential for all artists? - How can one maintain social health while working alone? A Different Perspective Isolation can lead to mental health challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-work/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Necessary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary-things/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Never say never, but the thought of electively cutting oneself is beyond my grasp, and I also object to it politically. Denying the lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-winger/never-say-never-but-the-thought-of-electively-cutting-oneself-is/) [Debra Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-winger/) > [Everyone hasn't got the power to free oneself and go away to another place or country... No one is capable of freeing oneself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdellah-taia/everyone-hasn-t-got-the-power-to-free-oneself-and-go-away-to-another/) [Abdellah Taia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdellah-taia/) > [In the sleeping state, instead, one is much more oneself, even if society never ceases to intervene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/in-the-sleeping-state-instead-one-is-much-more-oneself-even-if/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [In a world where we are forced to conform to society, it is necessary to have personal chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-world-where-we-are-forced-to-conform-to-society-it-is-necessary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We have to build a better man before we can build a better society. All that is necessary for the # triumph of #…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/we-have-to-build-a-better-man-before-we-can-build-a-better-society-2/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [Religion did not exist for the saving of souls but for the preservation and welfare of society, and in all that was necessary to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-robertson-smith/religion-did-not-exist-for-the-saving-of-souls-but-for-the/) [William Robertson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-robertson-smith/) > [“We can grant, too, that for social problems to be diagnosed, some detachment from society is necessary…But social problems are rarely to be solved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/we-can-grant-too-that-for-social-problems-to-be-diagnosed-some/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [To work effectively as an agent of change in a pluralistic society, it is necessary to be able to connect with people different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-daniel-tatum/to-work-effectively-as-an-agent-of-change-in-a-pluralistic-society-it/) [Beverly Daniel Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-daniel-tatum/) > [Pretending is the basis of civilised society, and it is sometimes necessary for all of us. Without it we are nothing more than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/pretending-is-the-basis-of-civilised-society-and-it-is-sometimes/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [To salvage a society, it is necessary to aid, abet, raise and increase that state of mind. If you were to set up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/to-salvage-a-society-it-is-necessary-to-aid-abet-raise-and-increase/) [L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/) > [A total work of art is only possible in the context of the whole of society. Everyone will be a necessary co-creator of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-beuys/a-total-work-of-art-is-only-possible-in-the-context-of-the-whole-of/) [Joseph Beuys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-beuys/) > [“It is the task of the "science of man" to arrive eventually at a correct description of what deserves to be called human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/it-is-the-task-of-the-science-of-man-to-arrive-eventually-at-a/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [If an artist wants to work with me because they feel I've made some credible albums and there've been things that are long-lasting, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ramone/if-an-artist-wants-to-work-with-me-because-they-feel-i-ve-made-some/) [Phil Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ramone/) > [I'm not the kind of artist that wants to get a sound, refine it, and do it 'til I'm 50 so that it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doseone/i-m-not-the-kind-of-artist-that-wants-to-get-a-sound-refine-it-and-do/) [Doseone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doseone/) > [Every artist wants his or her work to connect with someone. I think that's why people make art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/every-artist-wants-his-or-her-work-to-connect-with-someone-i-think/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) ## More by Glenn Gould > [ Theirs \[the Beatles\] is a happy, cocky, belligerently resourceless brand of harmonic primitivism... In the Liverpudlian repertoire, the indulged amateurishness of the musical material,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/theirs-the-beatles-is-a-happy-cocky-belligerently-resourceless-brand/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [I cannot bear assaults of any kind, and it seems to me that the Beatles essentially were out to affront and to assault.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/i-cannot-bear-assaults-of-any-kind-and-it-seems-to-me-that-the/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Mozart died too late rather than too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/mozart-died-too-late-rather-than-too-soon/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Whenever one honestly defies a tradition, one becomes, in reality, the more responsible to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/whenever-one-honestly-defies-a-tradition-one-becomes-in-reality-the/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [The purpose of art is the lifelong construction of a state of wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/the-purpose-of-art-is-the-lifelong-construction-of-a-state-of-wonder/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Beethoven's reputation is based entirely on gossip. The middle Beethoven represents a supreme example of a composer on an ego trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/beethoven-s-reputation-is-based-entirely-on-gossip-the-middle/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [I detest audiences - not in their individual components, but en masse I detest audiences. I think they're a force of evil. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/i-detest-audiences-not-in-their-individual-components-but-en-masse-i/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Chopin, Schubert, and Liszt had no idea of how to write for the piano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/chopin-schubert-and-liszt-had-no-idea-of-how-to-write-for-the-piano/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [“I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/i-believe-that-the-justification-of-art-is-the-internal-combustion-it/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Concert pianists are really afraid to try out the Beethoven Fourth Concerto if the Third happens to be their specialty. That's the piece they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/concert-pianists-are-really-afraid-to-try-out-the-beethoven-fourth/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [When I broke 20, I said to myself, 'I will give concerts until I'm approximately 30.' And I made it a year and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/when-i-broke-20-i-said-to-myself-i-will-give-concerts-until-i-m/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [By the time I was six, I made an important discovery that I get along much better with animals than humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/by-the-time-i-was-six-i-made-an-important-discovery-that-i-get-along/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [My moods are inversely related to the clarity of the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/my-moods-are-inversely-related-to-the-clarity-of-the-sky/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [I don't know what the effective ratio would be, but I've always had some sort of intuition that for every hour you spend in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/i-don-t-know-what-the-effective-ratio-would-be-but-i-ve-always-had/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [To me, the ideal artist-to-audience relationship is a one-to-zero relationship. The artist should be granted anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/to-me-the-ideal-artist-to-audience-relationship-is-a-one-to-zero/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) [Explore all 51 Glenn Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) ## 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": "If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work, cutting oneself off from society is a necessary thing", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Glenn Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-creative-work-cutting-oneself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-creative-work-cutting-oneself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b67/glenn-gould-13144_art_if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-c_1791860.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If an artist wants to use his mind for creative work, cutting oneself off from society is a necessary thing” — Glenn Gould", "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": "Glenn Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If an artist wants to use...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-creative-work-cutting-oneself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/if-an-artist-wants-to-use-his-mind-for-creative-work-cutting-oneself/#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 } } ] } ```