Cutting Quote by John Cage
“If you develop an ear for sounds that are musical it is like developing an ego. You begin to refuse sounds that are not musical and that way cut yourself off from a good deal of experience.”
About This Quote
He warns that insisting only on “musical” sounds can create an ego, limiting exposure to diverse auditory experiences.
In simple terms: Only valuing musical sounds narrows experience.
Key Takeaway
Avoid exclusivity in listening.
Themes
music
ego
perception
experience
Mood
reflective
philosophical
Type
artistic
educational
When to use this quote
- music education
- sound art
- personal development
Key Concepts
auditory openness
creative listening
artistic humility
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you expand your sound palette?
- What benefits arise from listening beyond music?
A Different Perspective
May be overly prescriptive.
![“It was at Harvard not quite forty years ago that I went into an anechoic [totally silent] chamber not expecting in that silent room to hear two sounds: one high, my nervous system in operation, one low, my blood in circulation. The reason I did not expect to hear those two sounds was that they…” quote by John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/153/john-cage-2094_blood_it-was-at-harvard-not-quite-forty-years_56114.jpg)
![“Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and the screenplay of Simon (Beaufoy) and I was reading it, even before the shoot, some kind of sounds came into my mind and I put some stuff [down] and sent it to…” quote by A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/573/a-r-rahman-4481_cutting_since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-o_539.jpg)
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
