---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...you do violence with your words if you…"
description: "\"“...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment from unseen hands - call it a Muse ...”\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg"
---

#  ...you do violence with your words if you force them - art…

![“...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment from unseen hands - call it a Muse ...” quote by John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg)

> ““...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment from unseen hands - call it a Muse ...””

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## About This Quote

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

Words can become violent when forced, while true inspiration arrives unbidden and fleeting

**In simple terms:** Forced words hurt; inspiration arrives on its own

Key Takeaway

Respect the natural flow of creativity

Themes

creativity expression inspiration

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- public speaking
- teaching
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

Artistic muse unconscious inspiration

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure your words empower rather than dominate?
- What practices help you stay open to spontaneous inspiration?

A Different Perspective

Even unintentional words can cause harm if misused

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-given-1804422/) [Context](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context/) [Force Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force-art-2136366/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muse/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Violence Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-words-1478006/) [Words Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-force-2234429/) [Writing advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-advice/)

## Related quotes

> [“Words have a force far beyond that of ink stains on pages or spoken sounds... Whether written or spoken, language found in forbidden books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-harms/words-have-a-force-far-beyond-that-of-ink-stains-on-pages-or-spoken/)

[Daniel Harms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-harms/)

> [What I've learned and all of us have learned is: You can't force art, and there's no way you could force somebody to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/what-i-ve-learned-and-all-of-us-have-learned-is-you-can-t-force-art/)

[Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/)

> [The Force of Art lies in its immediate influence on human psychology and in its active contagiousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naum-gabo/the-force-of-art-lies-in-its-immediate-influence-on-human-psychology/)

[Naum Gabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naum-gabo/)

> [“we’re made so that we love First when we see them painted, things we have passed Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/we-re-made-so-that-we-love-first-when-we-see-them-painted-things-we-2/)

[Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/)

> [We're made so that we love First when we see them painted, things we have passed Perhaps a hundred times nor cared to see;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-made-so-that-we-love-first-when-we-see-them-painted-things-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't like to say I have given my life to art. I prefer to say art has given me my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/i-don-t-like-to-say-i-have-given-my-life-to-art-i-prefer-to-say-art/)

[Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/)

> [Art is something given, not reproduced... the painter paints what he sees with his innermost senses, the expression of his being... for him every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herwarth-walden/art-is-something-given-not-reproduced-the-painter-paints-what-he-sees/)

[Herwarth Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herwarth-walden/)

> [People want Art. And they are given it. But the less Art there is in painting the more painting there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/people-want-art-and-they-are-given-it-but-the-less-art-there-is-in/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [ “\[Football\] has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/football-has-nothing-to-do-with-fair-play-it-is-bound-up-with-hatred/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [“RA is the use of relationships to hurt another, a way of verbal violence in which words rather than fists inflict damage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-dellasega/ra-is-the-use-of-relationships-to-hurt-another-a-way-of-verbal/)

[Cheryl Dellasega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-dellasega/)

> [“We're the sons appalled by violence, with no capacity for inflicting physical pain, useless at beating and clubbing, unfit to pulverize even the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/we-re-the-sons-appalled-by-violence-with-no-capacity-for-inflicting/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [Bullys are the small group who should perish not by voilence, but by non violence, words not fists, thats the awnser to our problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-long/bullys-are-the-small-group-who-should-perish-not-by-voilence-but-by/)

[Timothy Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-long/)

> [To destroy a man is difficult, almost as difficult as to create one: it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primo-levi/to-destroy-a-man-is-difficult-almost-as-difficult-as-to-create-one-it/)

[Primo Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primo-levi/)

> [“Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/serious-sport-has-nothing-to-do-with-fair-play-it-is-bound-up-with/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Behind the deceptive words designed to entice people into supporting violence -- words like democracy, freedom, self-defense, national security -- there is the reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/behind-the-deceptive-words-designed-to-entice-people-into-supporting/)

[Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/)

## More by John Geddes

> [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...careful the morning lest it wake from slumber the city half-encumbered by the morning mist ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/careful-the-morning-lest-it-wake-from-slumber-the-city-half/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...I've decided ... love is an eternity of slow motion replays ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-ve-decided-love-is-an-eternity-of-slow-motion-replays/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... my early writing was a silent fury - at what or whom, I had no idea - but I shut it in until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/my-early-writing-was-a-silent-fury-at-what-or-whom-i-had-no-idea-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...little children adore me - I'm a Troll Tamer and they know it!...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/little-children-adore-me-i-m-a-troll-tamer-and-they-know-it/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...all this time I've been worshiping you - when other men wanted to kiss you, I've been offering the praise of my lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-this-time-i-ve-been-worshiping-you-when-other-men-wanted-to-kiss/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...you are not what you seem - you're a Sylph - you leave and the air retains your image - you haunt me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-are-not-what-you-seem-you-re-a-sylph-you-leave-and-the-air/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...God daubs stars into galaxies with fiery paint - the same lacquer he uses upon your lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/god-daubs-stars-into-galaxies-with-fiery-paint-the-same-lacquer-he/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...language always occurs in a context - you can speak Elizabethan words, but to speak the language you have to put on the mindset...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/language-always-occurs-in-a-context-you-can-speak-elizabethan-words/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the feelings that pass between us are deeper than fleshly touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-feelings-that-pass-between-us-are-deeper-than-fleshly-touches/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...open the access to your heart and write down what your voice is whispering...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/open-the-access-to-your-heart-and-write-down-what-your-voice-is/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...true love is an irrevocable act - you can only give your heart away once - after that, you give as much as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/true-love-is-an-irrevocable-act-you-can-only-give-your-heart-away/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the strands that connect us are frail, so don't hang great weights on slender wires...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-strands-that-connect-us-are-frail-so-don-t-hang-great-weights-on/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...not even the wind can bring a tear to my eye the way you do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/not-even-the-wind-can-bring-a-tear-to-my-eye-the-way-you-do/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

[Explore all 301 John Geddes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment from unseen hands - call it a Muse ...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Geddes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-force-them-art-is-given-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-force-them-art-is-given-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/john-geddes-1052_art_you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-f_1015844.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...you do violence with your words if you force them - art is given - the words received, moment by moment…” — John Geddes",
                "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": "John Geddes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...you do violence with your words...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-force-them-art-is-given-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-do-violence-with-your-words-if-you-force-them-art-is-given-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
