---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Shakespeare could have arisen only on…"
description: "\"A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In the same way, your great dramatists and poets express the nature and essence of the Norwegian ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png"
---

#  A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In…

![“A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In the same way, your great dramatists and poets express the nature and essence of the Norwegian people, but they also express that which is universally valid for all mankind.” quote by Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png)

> “A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In the same way, your great dramatists and poets express the nature and essence of the Norwegian people, but they also express that which is universally valid for all mankind.”

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

## About This Quote

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

Great national artists reflect both local character and universal human truths.

**In simple terms:** Artists show local and universal truths.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared humanity in cultural works.

Themes

culture national identity universality

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- tourism
- cross‑cultural dialogue

Key Concepts

Literature identity humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do local traditions shape universal ideas?
- Can art bridge cultural gaps?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual variation within cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare/)

## Related quotes

> [Some people are like ants. Give them a warm day and a piece of ground and they start digging. There the similarity ends. Ants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/some-people-are-like-ants-give-them-a-warm-day-and-a-piece-of-ground/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [The best thing for you to do is shop at your local farmer's market and support the organic growers who are there. Because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-shop-at-your-local-farmer-s-market/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/)

[Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/)

> [Yes, I am positive that one of the great curatives of our evils, our maladies, social, moral, and intellectual, would be a return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wagner/yes-i-am-positive-that-one-of-the-great-curatives-of-our-evils-our/)

[Charles Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wagner/)

> [The art music of the West has developed through out its history by means of individual geniuses, and out of the soil supporting them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toru-takemitsu/the-art-music-of-the-west-has-developed-through-out-its-history-by/)

[Toru Takemitsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toru-takemitsu/)

> [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/)

[Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/)

> [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/)

[Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/)

> [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/)

[Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Vegetables, which are the lowest in the scale of living things, are fed by roots, which, implanted in the native soil, select by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/vegetables-which-are-the-lowest-in-the-scale-of-living-things-are-fed/)

[Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/)

> [Spade! Thou art a tool of honor in my hands. I press thee, through a yielding soil, with pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/spade-thou-art-a-tool-of-honor-in-my-hands-i-press-thee-through-a/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

## More by Gustav Stresemann

> [The economic position is only flourishing on the surface. Germany is in fact dancing on a volcano. If the short-term credits are called in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/the-economic-position-is-only-flourishing-on-the-surface-germany-is/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Nothing is more misleading to the youth of a nation than to state the outcome immediately after the beginning as if nothing could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/nothing-is-more-misleading-to-the-youth-of-a-nation-than-to-state-the/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [For the victor peace means the preservation of the position of power which he has secured. For the vanquished it means resigning himself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/for-the-victor-peace-means-the-preservation-of-the-position-of-power/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Historians still often see the end of the war as meaning nothing more for Germany than lost territories, lost participation in colonization, and lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/historians-still-often-see-the-end-of-the-war-as-meaning-nothing-more/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Just as the British subject loves England despite her faults, so we must insist that all Germans who were part of the old Germany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/just-as-the-british-subject-loves-england-despite-her-faults-so-we/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [As a consequence of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the officer corps of the old army became part of this class, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/as-a-consequence-of-the-terms-of-the-treaty-of-versailles-the-officer/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [I must begin by saying something about the old Germany. That Germany, too, suffered from superficial judgment, because appearances and reality were not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/i-must-begin-by-saying-something-about-the-old-germany-that-germany/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Voices were heard from the United States of America which made it clear that America wanted a peaceful and united Europe as a basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/voices-were-heard-from-the-united-states-of-america-which-made-it/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [History uses a unit of measure for time that is different from that of the lifespan of the individual, whereas man is only too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/history-uses-a-unit-of-measure-for-time-that-is-different-from-that/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [The history of nations shows that words are not always immediately followed by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/the-history-of-nations-shows-that-words-are-not-always-immediately/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [As a confirmed individualist I certainly do not wish to underrate the influence of the individual, for the masses do not lead the individual;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/as-a-confirmed-individualist-i-certainly-do-not-wish-to-underrate-the/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [If one seeks to analyze experiences and reactions to the first postwar years, I hope one may say without being accused of bias that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/if-one-seeks-to-analyze-experiences-and-reactions-to-the-first/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [In every man the memory of the struggles and the heroes of the past is alive. But these memories are not incompatible with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/in-every-man-the-memory-of-the-struggles-and-the-heroes-of-the-past/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Nothing in the reporting of a nation's history could so mislead the younger generation as to represent great events in such a way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/nothing-in-the-reporting-of-a-nation-s-history-could-so-mislead-the/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [The concept of active cooperation has taken the place of opposition to the new form of government and of dreamy resignation entranced with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/the-concept-of-active-cooperation-has-taken-the-place-of-opposition/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

[Explore all 32 Gustav Stresemann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

## More Essence quotes

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/)

[Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/)

> [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/)

[Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [It's all the unwordable things one wants to write about, just as it's all the unformable things one wants to paint - essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/it-s-all-the-unwordable-things-one-wants-to-write-about-just-as-it-s/)

[Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/)

> [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/)

[Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/)

> [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/)

[Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/)

> [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/)

[Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [The wisdom or the essence of Guru Tattwa is a balance. Like when you maintain a plant, if you do not give it water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/the-wisdom-or-the-essence-of-guru-tattwa-is-a-balance-like-when-you/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [This is the pathless path - returning to where you were initially before you got lost. The deepest truth in you is where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/this-is-the-pathless-path-returning-to-where-you-were-initially/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

> [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/)

[Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/)

> [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/)

[Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/)

[Browse all 3,115 Essence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In the same way, your great dramatists and poets express the nature and essence of the Norwegian people, but they also express that which is universally valid for all mankind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gustav Stresemann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on-english-soil-in-the-same-way/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Essence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on-english-soil-in-the-same-way/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af9/gustav-stresemann-19865_essence_a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on_615345.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A Shakespeare could have arisen only on English soil. In the same way, your great dramatists and poets…” — Gustav Stresemann",
                "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": "Gustav Stresemann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A Shakespeare could have arisen only...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on-english-soil-in-the-same-way/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/a-shakespeare-could-have-arisen-only-on-english-soil-in-the-same-way/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
