Art Quote by Gregory Maguire
““Thanks to our artists, we pretend well, living under canopies of painted clouds and painted gods, in halls of marble floors across which the sung Masses paint hope in deep impatsi of echo. We make of the hollow world a fuller, messier, prettier place, but all our inventions can't create the one thing we require: to deserve any fond attention we might accidentally receive, to receive any fond attention we don't in the course of things deserve. We are never enough to ourselves because we can never be enough to another. Any one of us walks into any room and reminds its occupant that we are not the one they most want to see. We are never the one. We are never enough.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: Unknown, author’s own work
The passage reflects on humanity’s perpetual yearning for validation and the feeling of never being sufficient for ourselves or others, despite artistic creation and effort.
In simple terms: We seek approval but feel never enough.
Key Takeaway
Accept imperfection and find intrinsic worth.
Themes
validation
self-worth
art
existential angst
Mood
melancholic
contemplative
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- creative work
- personal relationships
- public performance
- self-reflection
Key Concepts
human need for external affirmation
the paradox of creation
the search for meaning
Questions to Reflect On
- What intrinsic values can replace the need for external approval?
- How does creative expression affect self-perception?
A Different Perspective
Even with art, external validation remains elusive and can cause distress.
