--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless the work of art has wholly…" description: "\"Unless the work of art has wholly exhausted its maker's attention, it fails. This is why works of great significance are demanding and why they are inf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/guy-davenport-14485_art_unless-the-work-of-art-has-wholly-exhaus_2311244.png" --- # Unless the work of art has wholly exhausted its maker's… ![“Unless the work of art has wholly exhausted its maker's attention, it fails. This is why works of great significance are demanding and why they are infinitely rewarding.” quote by Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/guy-davenport-14485_art_unless-the-work-of-art-has-wholly-exhaus_2311244.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/guy-davenport-14485_art_unless-the-work-of-art-has-wholly-exhaus_2311244.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c8/guy-davenport-14485_art_unless-the-work-of-art-has-wholly-exhaus_2311244.png) > “Unless the work of art has wholly exhausted its maker's attention, it fails. This is why works of great significance are demanding and why they are infinitely rewarding.” [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that an artwork is incomplete until the creator fully devotes attention, making great works demanding yet deeply rewarding **In simple terms:** Great art requires total focus and effort Key Takeaway Commit fully to creative endeavors Themes art creativity dedication Mood contemplative serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - writing - music composition - design projects Key Concepts attention exhaustion reward Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when to pause? - What rewards justify the effort? A Different Perspective Total immersion can lead to burnout ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Fails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-fails-4112904/) [Demanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demanding/) [Demanding Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demanding-infinitely-4112903/) [Exhausted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausted/) [Fails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fails/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely/) [Maker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maker/) [Rewarding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewarding/) [Significance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significance/) [Significance Demanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significance-demanding-4112902/) [Unless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless/) [Wholly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholly/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-art/) [Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works/) ## Related quotes > [Unless the work of art has wholly exhausted its makers attention, it fails. 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She was wholly her own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/she-was-not-a-half-she-was-wholly-her-own/) [Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/) > [I ascribe my change wholly to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-ascribe-my-change-wholly-to-god/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [He defined himself almost wholly in the negative: It was not who he was, it was who he was not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bohjalian/he-defined-himself-almost-wholly-in-the-negative-it-was-not-who-he/) [Chris Bohjalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bohjalian/) > [Love is either wholly folly, or fully holy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-burch/love-is-either-wholly-folly-or-fully-holy/) [Michael R. Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-burch/) ## More by Guy Davenport > [Art knows neither doctrine nor idea; its nature is to show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/art-knows-neither-doctrine-nor-idea-its-nature-is-to-show/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [I was thought to be retarded as a child, and all the evidence indicates that I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/i-was-thought-to-be-retarded-as-a-child-and-all-the-evidence/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [“Sometimes when reading Goethe I have a paralyzing suspicion that he is trying to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/sometimes-when-reading-goethe-i-have-a-paralyzing-suspicion-that-he/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [The poet is at the edge of our consciousness of the world, finding beyond the suspected nothingness which we imagine limits our perception another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/the-poet-is-at-the-edge-of-our-consciousness-of-the-world-finding/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [“The poet and poetess have always had a rough time of it in the Republic. 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You lead the most exciting life I know of, and complain more about it than any two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-davenport/i-god-a-very-gomorry-on-wheels-you-lead-the-most-exciting-life-i-know/) [Guy Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-davenport/) > [“Man was first a hunter, and an artist: his early vestiges tell us that alone. 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