--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A writer, or any man, must believe that…" description: "\"“A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end. This is even stronger in the c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg" --- # A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens… ![“A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end. This is even stronger in the case of the artist. Everything that happens, including humiliations, embarrassments, misfortunes, all has been given like clay, like material for…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg) > ““A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end. This is even stronger in the case of the artist. Everything that happens, including humiliations, embarrassments, misfortunes, all has been given like clay, like material for one’s art. One must accept it. For this reason I speak in a poem of the ancient food of heroes: humiliation, unhappiness, discord. Those things are given to us to transform, so that we may make from the miserable circumstances of our lives things that are eternal, or aspire to be so.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s hardships are raw material for artistic creation, turning suffering into lasting art. **In simple terms:** Suffering fuels creative transformation. Key Takeaway Embrace hardship as artistic material. Themes creativity resilience artistic purpose philosophy Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - personal growth - overcoming adversity Key Concepts Existentialism alchemy of experience Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn personal pain into creative work? - What limits exist in using suffering as inspiration? A Different Perspective Not all pain can be transformed into art; some may remain destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Blindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blindness/) [Poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I speak in a poem of the ancient food of heroes: humiliation, unhappiness, discord. Those things are given to us to transform, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-speak-in-a-poem-of-the-ancient-food-of-heroes-humiliation/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“Everything that happens, including humiliations, embarrassments, misfortunes, all has been given like clay, like material for one’s art. One must accept it. For this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/everything-that-happens-including-humiliations-embarrassments/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-whatever-happens-to-him-is-an/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“We are the poem's ancient band of twelve that proceeds through the ages. There were twelve of us, when we ruled the world on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-lagerl-f/we-are-the-poem-s-ancient-band-of-twelve-that-proceeds-through-the/) [Selma Lagerlöf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-lagerl-f/) > [I'm an artist who happens to be gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-freedia/i-m-an-artist-who-happens-to-be-gay/) [Big Freedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-freedia/) > [Nobody knows what makes good art. As an artist, when it happens, you're grateful, and then you get on with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-neel/nobody-knows-what-makes-good-art-as-an-artist-when-it-happens-you-re/) [Alice Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-neel/) > [I see myself as an artist who happens to do cartoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-oliphant/i-see-myself-as-an-artist-who-happens-to-do-cartoons/) [Pat Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-oliphant/) > [“Water doesn’t shape like clay when you move it with your hands. I've spent a lot of time swimming, and none of my motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/water-doesn-t-shape-like-clay-when-you-move-it-with-your-hands-i-ve/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Truth was like clay. Whoever had their hands on the clay could shape it however he wanted. My hands were nowhere near the clay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-zunker/truth-was-like-clay-whoever-had-their-hands-on-the-clay-could-shape/) Chad Zunker > [I like the clay courts more, everyone knows that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-bertens/i-like-the-clay-courts-more-everyone-knows-that/) [Kiki Bertens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-bertens/) > [I feel like I can move well on the clay. So if I need to get into a longer rally, I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sock/i-feel-like-i-can-move-well-on-the-clay-so-if-i-need-to-get-into-a/) [Jack Sock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-sock/) > [“Words are like clay. You can have them however you want and mould them whichever way you like, but let your words be filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/words-are-like-clay-you-can-have-them-however-you-want-and-mould-them/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [One has to be able to twist and change and distort characters, play with them like clay, so everything fits together. Real people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/one-has-to-be-able-to-twist-and-change-and-distort-characters-play/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [“There's a unique substance in each one of us. A raw matter known as the child, pure and impressionable, flexible enough to be molded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zohreh-ghahremani/there-s-a-unique-substance-in-each-one-of-us-a-raw-matter-known-as/) [Zohreh Ghahremani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zohreh-ghahremani/) > [ \[The internet\] ought to be like clay, rather than a sculpture that you observe from a distance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/the-internet-ought-to-be-like-clay-rather-than-a-sculpture-that-you/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-fact-is-that-all-writers-create-their-precursors-their-work/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I don't think we're capable of knowledge, but I like to keep an open mind. So if you ask me whether I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-we-re-capable-of-knowledge-but-i-like-to-keep-an-open/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The web of time - the strands of which approach one another, bifurcate, intersect, or ignore each other through the centuries - embraces "every"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-web-of-time-the-strands-of-which-approach-one-another-bifurcate/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“My memory, sir, is like a garbage disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/my-memory-sir-is-like-a-garbage-disposal/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [When I write, I do it urged by an intimate necessity. I don't have in mind an exclusive public, or a public of multitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/when-i-write-i-do-it-urged-by-an-intimate-necessity-i-don-t-have-in/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-mind-was-dreaming-the-world-was-its-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“If I could live again - I will travel light, If I could live again - I'll try to work bare feet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/if-i-could-live-again-i-will-travel-light-if-i-could-live-again-i-ll/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Every man should be capable of all ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/every-man-should-be-capable-of-all-ideas/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Writing is only a guided dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-is-only-a-guided-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) [Explore all 558 Jorge Luis Borges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## 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": "“A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given for an end. This is even stronger in the case of the artist. Everything that happens, including humiliations, embarrassments, misfortunes, all has been given like clay, like material for one’s art. One must accept it. For this reason I speak in a poem of the ancient food of heroes: humiliation, unhappiness, discord. Those things are given to us to transform, so that we may make from the miserable circumstances of our lives things that are eternal, or aspire to be so.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jorge Luis Borges" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-whatever-happens-to-him-is-an-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-whatever-happens-to-him-is-an-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/jorge-luis-borges-275_art_a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-wh_3024186.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A writer, or any man, must believe that whatever happens to him is an instrument; everything has been given…” — Jorge Luis Borges", "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": "Jorge Luis Borges", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A writer, or any man, must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-whatever-happens-to-him-is-an-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/a-writer-or-any-man-must-believe-that-whatever-happens-to-him-is-an-2/#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 } } ] } ```