---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why I talk so seriously about art is that…"
description: "\"Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to creat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png"
---

#  Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only…

![“Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to create joy in this insane, suppressive universe. And art is the only thing that they can't get rid of. They've tried, but ultimately they can't stamp it…” quote by Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png)

> “Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to create joy in this insane, suppressive universe. And art is the only thing that they can't get rid of. They've tried, but ultimately they can't stamp it out.”

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

## About This Quote

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

Art is presented as an essential, enduring force that sustains humanity, creates joy, and resists suppression, even when attempts are made to eradicate it.

**In simple terms:** Art keeps people alive, creates joy, and cannot be eliminated.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate and protect artistic expression.

Themes

art survival joy resilience creativity

Mood

inspired defiant optimistic

Type

cultural philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- creative projects
- education
- community building
- political activism
- mental health

Key Concepts

cultural resistance human spirit expression

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways does art empower you personally?
- How can you support art that challenges oppression?

A Different Perspective

Art can be co‑opted or commodified, diluting its transformative power.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Alive Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-thing-2008680/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-thing-303406/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [People Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-create/) [Seriously Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriously-art-519101/) [Stay Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-alive/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-art-462714/)

## Related quotes

> [Art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to create joy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/art-is-the-only-thing-that-helps-people-stay-alive-and-it-is-the-only/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Like many popular best-sellers, he was a very sad and solemn man who took himself too seriously and his art not seriously enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-pritchett/like-many-popular-best-sellers-he-was-a-very-sad-and-solemn-man-who/)

[V. S. Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-pritchett/)

> [Photography has always been a struggle for me to take seriously as an art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pieter-hugo/photography-has-always-been-a-struggle-for-me-to-take-seriously-as-an/)

[Pieter Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pieter-hugo/)

> [Once you take yourself too seriously the art will suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/once-you-take-yourself-too-seriously-the-art-will-suffer/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [“they would be astonished to discover the seriously German problem that we are dealing with, a vortex and a turning-point at the very centre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/they-would-be-astonished-to-discover-the-seriously-german-problem/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Someone walking toward you is such a simple, happy-to-be-alive thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/someone-walking-toward-you-is-such-a-simple-happy-to-be-alive-thing/)

[Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/)

> [“That’s what being alive is, Thing! It’s being badly prepared for everything! Because you only get one chance, Thing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/that-s-what-being-alive-is-thing-it-s-being-badly-prepared-for/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“A voice saying that other word an alive thing must learn, that other word as necessary to living as taking in fuel and making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/a-voice-saying-that-other-word-an-alive-thing-must-learn-that-other/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [No Matter How Much Bullshit I Go Through In Life, Even If I Had A Million Reason To Die I Would Find One Thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-much-bullshit-i-go-through-in-life-even-if-i-had-a/)

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

> [“What makes you feel most alive? That is the thing you should be doing over and over again and again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/what-makes-you-feel-most-alive-that-is-the-thing-you-should-be-doing/)

[Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/)

> [Art can be a kind of therapeutic, or kind of a fantasy life, or wish fulfillment...o r creating this alternate universe. Art gives me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-pettibon/art-can-be-a-kind-of-therapeutic-or-kind-of-a-fantasy-life-or-wish/)

[Raymond Pettibon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-pettibon/)

> [“Through art alone are we able to emerge from ourselves, to know what another person sees of a universe which is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/through-art-alone-are-we-able-to-emerge-from-ourselves-to-know-what-2/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [Art is the microscope of the mind, which sharpens the wit as the other does the sight; and converts every object into a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/art-is-the-microscope-of-the-mind-which-sharpens-the-wit-as-the-other/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [Through art alone are we able to emerge from ourselves, to know what another person sees of a universe which is not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/through-art-alone-are-we-able-to-emerge-from-ourselves-to-know-what/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved. In the universe, there is the sun, the moon, the earth, and hundreds of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yayoi-kusama/with-just-one-polka-dot-nothing-can-be-achieved-in-the-universe-there/)

[Yayoi Kusama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yayoi-kusama/)

## More by Juliette Lewis

> [I used to be really insular, really introverted. I couldn't articulate myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-used-to-be-really-insular-really-introverted-i-couldn-t-articulate/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [I like people like Tina Turner, Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry, and Stevie Nicks; you only hear that person in their voice, they sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-like-people-like-tina-turner-chrissie-hynde-debbie-harry-and-stevie/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [My eyebrows are a mess. They're skinny; they're dodgy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/my-eyebrows-are-a-mess-they-re-skinny-they-re-dodgy/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [I had an upbringing in which I was allowed to be free and use my mind. My parents only helped me to be myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-had-an-upbringing-in-which-i-was-allowed-to-be-free-and-use-my-mind/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [When I feel something, I feel it to the ninth power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/when-i-feel-something-i-feel-it-to-the-ninth-power/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [I was meant to make music in my soul way younger than I did. I was just scared because I knew it would take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-was-meant-to-make-music-in-my-soul-way-younger-than-i-did-i-was/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Being beautiful can be a curse, especially if you want to be an artist and create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/being-beautiful-can-be-a-curse-especially-if-you-want-to-be-an-artist/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Any time you start judging with an overly critical eye rather than letting things just be, and following what you think is right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/any-time-you-start-judging-with-an-overly-critical-eye-rather-than/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [ \[There's\] this idea of "I want to take care of myself," but at the same time I want to be brave, daring, and expressive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/there-s-this-idea-of-i-want-to-take-care-of-myself-but-at-the-same/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [I experience so many feelings and emotions when I tour. It's the most amazing and also the most lonely thing you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/i-experience-so-many-feelings-and-emotions-when-i-tour-it-s-the-most/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [We've played everywhere since I started The Licks. We've played arenas, clubs, school cafeterias and bowling alleys. It doesn't matter where the venue is;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/we-ve-played-everywhere-since-i-started-the-licks-we-ve-played-arenas/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Leaving your home can be a fear at times. You gotta make yourself get out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/leaving-your-home-can-be-a-fear-at-times-you-gotta-make-yourself-get/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Of course I grew up with the 'Vacation' movie with the legendary Anthony Michael Hall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/of-course-i-grew-up-with-the-vacation-movie-with-the-legendary/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Rock'n'roll to me is a rebellion against the sterile pedestal culture of movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/rock-n-roll-to-me-is-a-rebellion-against-the-sterile-pedestal-culture/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

> [Some people can't connect with their own emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/some-people-can-t-connect-with-their-own-emotions/)

[Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

[Explore all 147 Juliette Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/)

## More Alive quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/)

[Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/)

[James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/)

> [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/)

[Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

[Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the only thing that has allowed people to create joy in this insane, suppressive universe. And art is the only thing that they can't get rid of. They've tried, but ultimately they can't stamp it out.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Juliette Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-that-art-is-the-only-thing-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-that-art-is-the-only-thing-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/997/juliette-lewis-2857_alive_why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-tha_329803.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why I talk so seriously about art is that art is the only thing that helps people stay alive, and it is the…” — Juliette Lewis",
                "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": "Juliette Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Why I talk so seriously about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-that-art-is-the-only-thing-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/why-i-talk-so-seriously-about-art-is-that-art-is-the-only-thing-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
