--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is it that all men who have become…" description: "\"“Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, statesmanship, poetry or the arts are melancholic,”\" — Joshua Wolf Shenk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg" --- # Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in… ![“Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, statesmanship, poetry or the arts are melancholic,” quote by Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg) > ““Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, statesmanship, poetry or the arts are melancholic,”” [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observation that many great thinkers are melancholic, linking brilliance with sadness. **In simple terms:** Great minds often feel melancholy. Key Takeaway Recognize melancholy as part of creative depth. Themes philosophy creativity melancholy Mood thoughtful somber Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - writing essays - mental health awareness - artistic inspiration - historical analysis Key Concepts psychology genius myth Questions to Reflect On - Why might sadness fuel insight? - How to balance melancholy with wellbeing? A Different Perspective Melancholy can hinder productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [Why is it that all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/why-is-it-that-all-men-who-are-outstanding-in-philosophy-poetry-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“Men of outstanding ability are more likely to lack the power of controlling their own people than of defeating an enemy in battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titus-livius/men-of-outstanding-ability-are-more-likely-to-lack-the-power-of/) Titus Livius > [And as I walk round the park I always think, 'Maybe round the corner I am going to find something beautiful.' I always think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-loren/and-as-i-walk-round-the-park-i-always-think-maybe-round-the-corner-i/) [Sophia Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-loren/) > [I've always been melancholic. At a party, everyone would be looking at the glittering chandeliers and I'd be looking at the waitress's cracked shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-ve-always-been-melancholic-at-a-party-everyone-would-be-looking-at/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [It's almost as if the Swedes have two different personalities: one for winter and one for summer. I am both a happy and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-helin/it-s-almost-as-if-the-swedes-have-two-different-personalities-one-for/) [Sofia Helin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-helin/) > [“My memories, with images by Botticelli and harmonies by Mozart, of returning from a far away place, of the time when my tears were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/my-memories-with-images-by-botticelli-and-harmonies-by-mozart-of/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [Music is at its best when it is pleasingly melancholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/music-is-at-its-best-when-it-is-pleasingly-melancholic/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“All of this was mine, simply for agreeing to marry a man I did not love but who was, in the end, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/all-of-this-was-mine-simply-for-agreeing-to-marry-a-man-i-did-not/) [Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/) > [I always fear with music that it can be too immediate - too geared toward a "get addicted to it and throw it away"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lopatin/i-always-fear-with-music-that-it-can-be-too-immediate-too-geared/) [Daniel Lopatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lopatin/) > ['Tu ki jaane' is a melancholic song about a love unfulfilled, about a road block in a once happy relationship also embodies the evolution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-bhasin/tu-ki-jaane-is-a-melancholic-song-about-a-love-unfulfilled-about-a/) [Neha Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-bhasin/) > [“Melancholia is, I believe, a musical problem: a dissonance, a change in rhythm. While on the outside everything happens with the vertiginous rhythm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandra-pizarnik/melancholia-is-i-believe-a-musical-problem-a-dissonance-a-change-in/) [Alejandra Pizarnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandra-pizarnik/) > [I am not sad, but I am melancholic. When you lose your mother at 20 and then your father soon after, melancholia is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-kaas/i-am-not-sad-but-i-am-melancholic-when-you-lose-your-mother-at-20-and/) [Patricia Kaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-kaas/) > [In Physic, things of melancholic hue and quality are used against melancholy, sour against sour, salt to remove salt humors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/in-physic-things-of-melancholic-hue-and-quality-are-used-against/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Traits of melancholic type: talented, creative, analytical, idealistic, pessimistic, masochistic, critical and uncertain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-mckey/traits-of-melancholic-type-talented-creative-analytical-idealistic/) [Zoe McKey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-mckey/) > [I know that New York is big - there are huge buildings - but, in fact, it's quite small and contained... I like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/i-know-that-new-york-is-big-there-are-huge-buildings-but-in-fact-it-s/) [Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/) ## More by Joshua Wolf Shenk > [“The Perspectives of Psychiatry, Paul R. McHugh and Phillip R. Slavney identify four approaches to a suffering person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/the-perspectives-of-psychiatry-paul-r-mchugh-and-phillip-r-slavney/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“The individuals in great dyads will be very different from each other and very much alike. These simultaneous extremes generate the deep rapport and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/the-individuals-in-great-dyads-will-be-very-different-from-each-other/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“In the fourth century, John Cassian described a condition among his fellow monks that he called “acedia”: a “weariness or distress of heart . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/in-the-fourth-century-john-cassian-described-a-condition-among-his/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“creeping fear of madness often accompanies depression. Sufferers wonder if their black moods will ever lift, or if their feelings of alienation from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/creeping-fear-of-madness-often-accompanies-depression-sufferers/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“The American tradition of separation of church and state grew directly from the freethinking of the Founders. After political independence, they considered independence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/the-american-tradition-of-separation-of-church-and-state-grew/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“A person with a melancholy temperament had been fated with both an awful burden and what Byron called “a fearful gift.” The burden was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/a-person-with-a-melancholy-temperament-had-been-fated-with-both-an/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“because of them, he worked all the harder in his thirties and forties to “make himself,” emotionally as well as materially, and go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/because-of-them-he-worked-all-the-harder-in-his-thirties-and-forties/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“The distinction is essential. Fault implies a failure or weakness for which a person should be held to account, if not outright blamed. Misfortune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/the-distinction-is-essential-fault-implies-a-failure-or-weakness-for/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“In the early nineteenth century, a new culture—a new idea about what to hope for—emerged for many Americans, centered around the independent self, under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/in-the-early-nineteenth-century-a-new-culture-a-new-idea-about-what/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“ONE OF THE REASONS that depression is so problematic—and deadly, leading to many of the forty thousand suicides in the United States each year—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/one-of-the-reasons-that-depression-is-so-problematic-and-deadly/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“Lincoln was raised in the thick of Old School Calvinism. In Kentucky and Indiana, his parents belonged to a fire-breathing sect called Separate Baptism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/lincoln-was-raised-in-the-thick-of-old-school-calvinism-in-kentucky/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“As late as 1820, families made three quarters of all goods—food, clothing, tools—for their own use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/as-late-as-1820-families-made-three-quarters-of-all-goods-food/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“You say you are conservative—eminently conservative—while we are revolutionary, destructive, or something of the sort. What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/you-say-you-are-conservative-eminently-conservative-while-we-are/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“He arrived tentatively at his own idea, that melancholy arose from natural, sometimes beneficent forces. Talking about it in plain human terms was his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/he-arrived-tentatively-at-his-own-idea-that-melancholy-arose-from/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) > [“Suffering was not a punishment from beyond or a malevolent infestation of the soul. Like the earth turning on its axis or energy passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/suffering-was-not-a-punishment-from-beyond-or-a-malevolent/) [Joshua Wolf Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) [Explore all 30 Joshua Wolf Shenk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/) ## 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": "“Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, statesmanship, poetry or the arts are melancholic,”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joshua Wolf Shenk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-outstanding-in-philosophy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-outstanding-in-philosophy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/joshua-wolf-shenk-20627_art_why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-o_2892308.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why is it that all men who have become outstanding in philosophy, statesmanship, poetry or the arts are…” — Joshua Wolf Shenk", "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": "Joshua Wolf Shenk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wolf-shenk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why is it that all men...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-outstanding-in-philosophy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wolf-shenk/why-is-it-that-all-men-who-have-become-outstanding-in-philosophy/#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 } } ] } ```