Art Quote by Jeffrey Moore
““So why was the goddess of Memory linked with artistic creation,you may well ask" "Because for the Greeks creativity wasn't associated with the idea of producing something new-as it is today.The artist built upon, or reworked, the great intellectual and cultural achievements of the past. So a great memory,you see, was considered a key part of creative activity- it gave the artist more material to draw upon, as well as a richer, more complex intellect. When James Joyce said ' I invented nothing, but I forgot nothing either," I think he was referring to exactly this sort of thing. ””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Art of Memory in the Ancient World, Jeffrey Moore, 2000
The Greeks saw memory as essential to creativity, believing artists built on past knowledge rather than inventing wholly new ideas.
In simple terms: Memory was seen as a foundation for creative work.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate memory to enrich creativity.
Themes
creativity
memory
artistic tradition
knowledge inheritance
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- writing
- visual arts
- academic research
- teaching
- personal projects
Key Concepts
cultural continuity
intellectual depth
creative process
Questions to Reflect On
- How does remembering past works influence your own creations?
- Can you balance memory and originality?
A Different Perspective
Modern emphasis on novelty may undervalue the role of memory in innovation.
![“[Ulysses] appears to have been written by a perverted lunatic who has made a speciality of the literature of the latrine… I have no stomach for Ulysses… James Joyce is a writer of talent, but in Ulysses he has ruled out all the elementary decencies of life and dwells appreciatively on things that…” quote by Aramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/69c/aramis-186052_bad-reviews_ulysses-appears-to-have-been-written-by_210594.jpg)
![“James Joyce is a cul-de-sac. [Ulysses is] ... an example how literature branched out and went into, lost itself in nowhere, no man's land.” quote by Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21d/werner-herzog-964_books_james-joyce-is-a-cul-de-sac-ulysses-is-a_176588.jpg)
