---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is a barren route, of which glory is…"
description: "\"“Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.”\" — Henri Murger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png"
---

#  Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.

![“Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.” quote by Henri Murger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png)

> ““Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.””

Henri Murger

## About This Quote

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

Art often feels barren, yet true glory is a rare oasis amidst struggle.

**In simple terms:** Art is desolate; glory is rare

Key Takeaway

Seek the oasis of inspiration in creative emptiness

Themes

art creativity loneliness

Mood

reflective poetic

Type

Art:1 Artist:0 Barren:1 Bohemianism:0 Oasis:1 Art Barren:0 Barren Route:0 Glory Oasis:0

When to use this quote

- artist residencies
- creative retreats
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

existentialism aesthetic philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find meaning in barren artistic periods?
- What constitutes a personal oasis of creativity?

A Different Perspective

Not all art leads to glory

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bohemianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bohemianism/) [Oasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oasis/)

## Related quotes

> [Long ago Mars was an oasis of running water.Today the Martiansurfaceis a sterile,barren desert. Here on Earth, who knows what climactic knobs we unwittingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/long-ago-mars-was-an-oasis-of-running-water-today-the/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Humanity needs a new soil - the soil of freedom. Bohemianism was a reaction, a necessary reaction, but if my vision succeeds then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/humanity-needs-a-new-soil-the-soil-of-freedom-bohemianism-was-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [How would that premise stand up if he examined it? That was probably why the Communists were always cracking down on Bohemiansism. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/how-would-that-premise-stand-up-if-he-examined-it-that-was-probably/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [“Open the windows and the doors, she shouted, cook some meat and fish, buy the largest turtles around, let strangers come in and spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/open-the-windows-and-the-doors-she-shouted-cook-some-meat-and-fish/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“…a kind of Calvinist in reverse; that is, he was uncompromisingly bohemian”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-adler/a-kind-of-calvinist-in-reverse-that-is-he-was-uncompromisingly/)

[Renata Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-adler/)

> [English Bohemianism is a curiously unluscious fruit. ... Inside this hothouse, huge lascivious orchids slide sensuously up the sweating windows, passion-flowers cross-pollinate in wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-coren/english-bohemianism-is-a-curiously-unluscious-fruit-inside-this/)

[Alan Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-coren/)

> [“I dreamt that I took William Burrough’s penis and tied it up with piano wire. I hung him like a Chagall painting…In the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schulman/i-dreamt-that-i-took-william-burrough-s-penis-and-tied-it-up-with/)

[Sarah Schulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schulman/)

> [My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that I thought people wanted you to get involved with... namely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/my-bohemianism-consisted-of-not-wanting-to-get-involved-with-the/)

[Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/)

> [I think this kind of bohemianism doesn't really exist in the New York city anymore - the bohemianism that I was trying to record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-press/i-think-this-kind-of-bohemianism-doesn-t-really-exist-in-the-new-york/)

[Richard Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-press/)

> [I guess I was the most unbohemian of all bohemians. My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-guess-i-was-the-most-unbohemian-of-all-bohemians-my-bohemianism/)

[Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/)

> [“My environment reflects the life I've led, the places I've visited and the people I've loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-nicholson/my-environment-reflects-the-life-i-ve-led-the-places-i-ve-visited-and/)

[Virginia Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-nicholson/)

> [“I work with a great deal of discipline, although I usually take on more than I can handle and often have to extend due…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/i-work-with-a-great-deal-of-discipline-although-i-usually-take-on/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

> [And, in the future, while the dumb show of bohemianism plays itself out in the cookie cutter shape of the politically correct martyr/victim, aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-parfrey/and-in-the-future-while-the-dumb-show-of-bohemianism-plays-itself-out/)

Adam Parfrey

> [I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-have-a-dream-that-one-day-even-the-state-of-mississippi-a-desert/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [ “Downloading's the same as what I used to do. I used to tape the charts of the songs I liked \[off the radio\]. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-gallagher/downloading-s-the-same-as-what-i-used-to-do-i-used-to-tape-the-charts/)

[Liam Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-gallagher/)

## More by Henri Murger

> [Study is the child of silence and mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-murger/study-is-the-child-of-silence-and-mystery/)

Henri Murger

Explore all 2 Henri Murger quotes

## 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": "“Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Henri Murger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-murger/art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is-the-oasis/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-murger/art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is-the-oasis/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdf/henri-murger-55439_art_art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is_1724405.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art is a barren route, of which glory is the oasis.” — Henri Murger",
                "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": "Henri Murger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-murger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Art is a barren route, of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-murger/art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is-the-oasis/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-murger/art-is-a-barren-route-of-which-glory-is-the-oasis/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
