--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Recognizing masterpieces is the job of…" description: "\"“Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not writing competent reviews of the unimportant.”\" — Jack Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg" --- # Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not… ![“Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not writing competent reviews of the unimportant.” quote by Jack Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg) > ““Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not writing competent reviews of the unimportant.”” Jack Green ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critics should evaluate works, not produce superficial reviews of trivial matters. **In simple terms:** Critics focus on quality, not trivialities. Key Takeaway Critique significance, not minutiae. Themes criticism evaluation quality writing literature Mood thoughtful analytical serious Type Critic:1 Writing:1 Critic Writing:1 Job Critic:1 Masterpieces Job:1 Recognizing Masterpieces:1 Reviews Unimportant:1 When to use this quote - book reviews - film critiques - art analysis Key Concepts critical thinking analysis professional standards Questions to Reflect On - What defines a work as 'unimportant'? - How can critics remain objective? A Different Perspective May dismiss the value of casual feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The job of the critic is to report to us his moods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-job-of-the-critic-is-to-report-to-us-his-moods/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The job of the critic, as it might have been conceived in the 1950's or 1960's, was some kind of role of moral arbiter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/the-job-of-the-critic-as-it-might-have-been-conceived-in-the-1950-s/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [An important job of the critic is to savage what is mediocre or meretricious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/an-important-job-of-the-critic-is-to-savage-what-is-mediocre-or/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [That's something you can't get off the wires in New York is people providing intelligent coverage of what your theater company in Podunk is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-teachout/that-s-something-you-can-t-get-off-the-wires-in-new-york-is-people/) [Terry Teachout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-teachout/) > [I'm not a critic so much of my own writing. 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(Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I am my biggest critic. Even in films where people said they liked me, I have disliked myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-akkineni/i-am-my-biggest-critic-even-in-films-where-people-said-they-liked-me/) [Samantha Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-akkineni/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [If I weren't an actor, I'd either be a teacher or a critic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/if-i-weren-t-an-actor-i-d-either-be-a-teacher-or-a-critic/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [When a critic sets himself up as an arbiter of morality, a judge of the matter and not the manner of a work, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-a-critic-sets-himself-up-as-an-arbiter-of-morality-a-judge-of/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I remember the early 1980s, when I first got one of these fabulous film critic jobs. 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My mom, Zarela Martinez,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sanchez/my-mother-and-my-grandmother-are-pioneers-of-mexican-cuisine-in-this/) [Aaron Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sanchez/) Browse all 758 Critic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not writing competent reviews of the unimportant.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-green/recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-the-critic-not-writing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Critic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-green/recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-the-critic-not-writing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/871/jack-green-244772_writing_recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-t_1576492.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Recognizing masterpieces is the job of the critic, not writing competent reviews of the unimportant.” — Jack Green", "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": "Jack Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Recognizing masterpieces is the job of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-green/recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-the-critic-not-writing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-green/recognizing-masterpieces-is-the-job-of-the-critic-not-writing/#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 } } ] } ```