--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the time of the cavemen, man has…" description: "\"Since the time of the cavemen, man has glorified himself, has made himself divine, and his monstrous vanity has caused human catastrophe. Art has colla..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/hans-arp-18152_art_since-the-time-of-the-cavemen-man-has-gl_1405040.png" --- # Since the time of the cavemen, man has glorified himself… ![“Since the time of the cavemen, man has glorified himself, has made himself divine, and his monstrous vanity has caused human catastrophe. Art has collaborated in this false development. I find this concept of art which has sustained man's vanity to be loathsome.” quote by Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/hans-arp-18152_art_since-the-time-of-the-cavemen-man-has-gl_1405040.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/hans-arp-18152_art_since-the-time-of-the-cavemen-man-has-gl_1405040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb1/hans-arp-18152_art_since-the-time-of-the-cavemen-man-has-gl_1405040.png) > “Since the time of the cavemen, man has glorified himself, has made himself divine, and his monstrous vanity has caused human catastrophe. Art has collaborated in this false development. I find this concept of art which has sustained man's vanity to be loathsome.” [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Since prehistoric times, humanity’s vanity fuels disaster, and art often reinforces this ego. **In simple terms:** Art can amplify human arrogance leading to ruin. Key Takeaway Seek humility in creation. Themes vanity catastrophe art criticism Mood reflective critical Type aesthetic philosophical When to use this quote - cultural policy - public monuments - media representation - education curricula Key Concepts philosophy of art human nature Questions to Reflect On - How does art reflect societal values? - Can art be a force for humility? A Different Perspective Art can also inspire empathy and change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Cavemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cavemen/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) ## Related quotes > [...the Lord said as He drew near His passion, 'Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximus-the-confessor/the-lord-said-as-he-drew-near-his-passion-now-is-the-son-of-man/) [Maximus the Confessor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximus-the-confessor/) > [“the Son of man should be glorified. JOH12.24 Verily, verily, I say unto you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-son-of-man-should-be-glorified-joh12-24-verily-verily-i-say-unto/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All sensible people know that vanity is the most devastating, the most universal, and the most ineradicable of the passions that afflict the soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/all-sensible-people-know-that-vanity-is-the-most-devastating-the-most/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“A dead man’s vanity: his ashes full of life that cannot be deceased before a living being’s pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/a-dead-man-s-vanity-his-ashes-full-of-life-that-cannot-be-deceased/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) > [A man's own vanity is a swindler that never lacks for a dupe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/a-man-s-own-vanity-is-a-swindler-that-never-lacks-for-a-dupe/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [A man's vanity tells him what is honor, a man's conscience what is justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/a-man-s-vanity-tells-him-what-is-honor-a-man-s-conscience-what-is/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [The woman who appeals to a man's vanity may stimulate him, the woman who appeals to his heart may attract him, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/the-woman-who-appeals-to-a-man-s-vanity-may-stimulate-him-the-woman/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [“Of all the weaknesses that beset a man, vanity is the most deadly. For through vanity can a wise man turn to folly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-e-feist/of-all-the-weaknesses-that-beset-a-man-vanity-is-the-most-deadly-for/) [Raymond E. Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-e-feist/) > [For man, the vanity of vanities represents first of all solidarity with his own universe, and this vanity is mans Salvation, the way through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/for-man-the-vanity-of-vanities-represents-first-of-all-solidarity-2/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [I will give you a definition of a proud man: he is a man who has neither vanity nor wisdom one filled with hatreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/i-will-give-you-a-definition-of-a-proud-man-he-is-a-man-who-has/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [For man, the vanity of vanities represents first of all solidarity with his own universe, and this vanity is mans Salvation, the way through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/for-man-the-vanity-of-vanities-represents-first-of-all-solidarity/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) > [A man's vanity is more fragile that you might think. It's easy for us to mistake shyness for coldness, and silence for indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/a-man-s-vanity-is-more-fragile-that-you-might-think-it-s-easy-for-us/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [Tilling the fertile soil of man's vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-glasgow/tilling-the-fertile-soil-of-man-s-vanity/) [Ellen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-glasgow/) > [“We are cavemen with lightsabers, our tools have evolved, our way to think has not”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-loskov/we-are-cavemen-with-lightsabers-our-tools-have-evolved-our-way-to/) [Kimberly Loskov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-loskov/) > [“Humanity takes itself too seriously. It is the world's original sin. If cavemen had known how to laugh, history would have been different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/humanity-takes-itself-too-seriously-it-is-the-world-s-original-sin-if/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## More by Hans Arp > [“La mariposa disecada se convierte en una mamariposa disesecada la mamariposa disesecada se convierte en una granmamariposa grandisesecada”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/la-mariposa-disecada-se-convierte-en-una-mamariposa-disesecada-la/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Ever since my childhood, I was haunted by the search for perfection. An imperfectly cut paper literally made me ill. I would guillotine it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/ever-since-my-childhood-i-was-haunted-by-the-search-for-perfection-an/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [In recent times, Surrealist painters have used descriptive illusionistic academic methods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/in-recent-times-surrealist-painters-have-used-descriptive/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Artists should work together like the artists of the Middle Ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/artists-should-work-together-like-the-artists-of-the-middle-ages/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Zurich in 1915,... While the thunder of the batteries rumbled in the distance, we pasted, we recited, we versified, we sang with all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/zurich-in-1915-while-the-thunder-of-the-batteries-rumbled-in-the/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [I like nature but not its substitutes... Mondrian opposed art to nature saying that art is artificial and nature is natural. I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/i-like-nature-but-not-its-substitutes-mondrian-opposed-art-to-nature/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [We attempted perfection; we wanted an object to be without flaw, so we cut the papers with a razor, pasted them down meticulously, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/we-attempted-perfection-we-wanted-an-object-to-be-without-flaw-so-we/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [The vertical and the horizontal are the extreme signs available to man for touching the beyond and his inwardness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/the-vertical-and-the-horizontal-are-the-extreme-signs-available-to/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [DaDa is beautiful like the night, who cradles the young day in her arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/dada-is-beautiful-like-the-night-who-cradles-the-young-day-in-her-arms/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [While guns rumbled in the distance, we sang, painted, made collages and wrote poems with all our might. We were seeking an art based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/while-guns-rumbled-in-the-distance-we-sang-painted-made-collages-and/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [In 1915 Sophie Tauber and I carried out our first works in the simplest forms, using painting, embroidery and pasted paper (without using oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/in-1915-sophie-tauber-and-i-carried-out-our-first-works-in-the/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [The man who speaks and writes about art should refrain from censuring or pontificating. He will thus avoid doing anything foolish, for in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/the-man-who-speaks-and-writes-about-art-should-refrain-from-censuring/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Each one of these bodies (art-works Arp made) certainly signifies something, but it is only once there is nothing left for me to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/each-one-of-these-bodies-art-works-arp-made-certainly-signifies/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Already in 1915, Sophie Tauber divides the surface of her aquarelle into squares and rectangles which she then juxtaposes horizontally and perpendicularly as Mondrian,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/already-in-1915-sophie-tauber-divides-the-surface-of-her-aquarelle/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) > [Dada was given the Venus of Milo a clyster and has allowed the Laocoön and his sons to rest awhile, after thousands of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/dada-was-given-the-venus-of-milo-a-clyster-and-has-allowed-the-laoco/) [Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) [Explore all 34 Hans Arp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/) ## 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": "Since the time of the cavemen, man has glorified himself, has made himself divine, and his monstrous vanity has caused human catastrophe. 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