--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The masterpiece is symphony played upon…" description: "\"“The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings.”\" — Kakuzō Okakura" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg" --- # The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings. ![“The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings.” quote by Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg) > ““The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings.”” [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great art expresses the deepest emotions, turning feeling into a harmonious symphony. **In simple terms:** Art transforms feelings into harmony. Key Takeaway Seek to channel emotions through creative expression. Themes art emotion beauty philosophy Mood contemplative inspired serene Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - painting - music composition - poetry - dance Key Concepts aesthetic theory emotional resonance creative synthesis Questions to Reflect On - How does your work reflect your innermost feelings? - What practices help you translate emotion into art? A Different Perspective Emotions can be chaotic if not refined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finest Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finest-feelings-4726673/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) [Masterpiece Symphony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece-symphony-5928045/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Symphony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symphony/) [Symphony Played](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symphony-played-1038331/) ## Related quotes > [Play doesn't have to be a frivolous thing. You may think of a Beethoven symphony as something serious, but it's still being played. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bridges/play-doesn-t-have-to-be-a-frivolous-thing-you-may-think-of-a/) [Jeff Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bridges/) > [There is nothing more corrupting, nothing more destructive of the noblest and finest feelings of our nature, than the exercise of unlimited power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-harrison/there-is-nothing-more-corrupting-nothing-more-destructive-of-the/) [William Henry Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-harrison/) > [I found a deep kinship between Mahler's recurrent attempts to confront all sides of life and to affirm himself in the face of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/i-found-a-deep-kinship-between-mahler-s-recurrent-attempts-to/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [For hundreds of years people have talked about artists having inspiration, but often, some persons would say, write us a symphony or write us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/for-hundreds-of-years-people-have-talked-about-artists-having/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [A visionary company is like a great work of art. Think of Michelangelo's scenes from Genesis on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/a-visionary-company-is-like-a-great-work-of-art-think-of-michelangelo/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [“At breakfast, I might pass a Brahms symphony in my head. Then I am called to the phone, and half an hour later I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/at-breakfast-i-might-pass-a-brahms-symphony-in-my-head-then-i-am/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [When you play in smaller places with a smaller symphony, sometimes there's a difference in quality. Sometimes it's murderous. Sometimes it's real torture. Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-murray/when-you-play-in-smaller-places-with-a-smaller-symphony-sometimes/) [Anne Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-murray/) > [Greece is a sort of American vassal; the Netherlands is the country of American bases that grow like tulip bulbs; Cuba is the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/greece-is-a-sort-of-american-vassal-the-netherlands-is-the-country-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of the things that really matter require faith. 'How do I know that my wife loves me?' 'How do I know that Mozart's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/most-of-the-things-that-really-matter-require-faith-how-do-i-know/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [When one woman was asked how long she had been going to symphony concerts, she paused to calculate and replied, 'Forty-seven years - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-andrews-kent/when-one-woman-was-asked-how-long-she-had-been-going-to-symphony/) [Louise Andrews Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-andrews-kent/) > [I still love how Phil Spector turned teenage experiences into wonderful symphonies, but I find it a little more difficult to put myself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-goddard/i-still-love-how-phil-spector-turned-teenage-experiences-into/) [Joe Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-goddard/) > [A thing of orchestrated hell-a terrible symphony of light and flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-thing-of-orchestrated-hell-a-terrible-symphony-of-light-and-flame/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [My ex-wife was trying to be nice once, so she took me to a concert in Los Angeles. I went with her to Symphony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/my-ex-wife-was-trying-to-be-nice-once-so-she-took-me-to-a-concert-in/) [B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/) ## More by Kakuzō Okakura > [“Nothing is more hallowing than the union of kindred spirits in art. At the moment of meeting, the art lover transcends himself. At once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/nothing-is-more-hallowing-than-the-union-of-kindred-spirits-in-art-at/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Welcome to thee, O sword of eternity! Through Buddha And through Daruma alike Thou hast cleft thy way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/welcome-to-thee-o-sword-of-eternity-through-buddha-and-through-daruma/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Our standards of morality are begotten of the past needs of society, but is society to remain always the same?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/our-standards-of-morality-are-begotten-of-the-past-needs-of-society/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“At the magic touch of the beautiful the secret chords of our being are awakened, we vibrate and thrill in response to its call.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/at-the-magic-touch-of-the-beautiful-the-secret-chords-of-our-being/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Have you not noticed that the wild flowers are becoming scarcer every year? It may be that their wise men have told them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/have-you-not-noticed-that-the-wild-flowers-are-becoming-scarcer-every/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Behold the complacent salesman retailing the Good and True. One can even buy a so-called Religion, which is really but common morality sanctified with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/behold-the-complacent-salesman-retailing-the-good-and-true-one-can/) [Kakuzo Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Sad as it is, we cannot conceal the fact that in spite of our companionship with flowers we have not risen very far above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/sad-as-it-is-we-cannot-conceal-the-fact-that-in-spite-of-our/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“The claims of contemporary art cannot be ignored in any vital scheme of life. The art of to-day is that which really belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-claims-of-contemporary-art-cannot-be-ignored-in-any-vital-scheme/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“We are ever brutal to those who love and serve us in silence, but the time may come when, for our cruelty, we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/we-are-ever-brutal-to-those-who-love-and-serve-us-in-silence-but-the/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“Our standards of morality are begotten of the past needs of society, but is society to remain always the same? The observance of communal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/our-standards-of-morality-are-begotten-of-the-past-needs-of-society-2/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“In art, the present is the eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/in-art-the-present-is-the-eternal/) [Kakuzo Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“We must know the whole play in order to properly act our parts; the conception of totality must never be lost in that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/we-must-know-the-whole-play-in-order-to-properly-act-our-parts-the/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“These Taoists' ideas have greatly influenced all our theories of action, even to those of fencing and wrestling. Jiu-jitsu, the Japanese art of self-defence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/these-taoists-ideas-have-greatly-influenced-all-our-theories-of/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“New York City vagrant: "What sort of 'nese are you people? Are you Chinese, or Japanese, or Javanese?" Kakuzo Okakura responds: "We are Japanese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/new-york-city-vagrant-what-sort-of-nese-are-you-people-are-you/) [Kakuzo Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) > [“People are not taught to be really virtuous, but to behave properly. We are wicked because we are frightfully self-conscious. We nurse a conscience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/people-are-not-taught-to-be-really-virtuous-but-to-behave-properly-we/) [Kakuzō Okakura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) [Explore all 43 Kakuzō Okakura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/) ## More Masterpiece quotes > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Light and subject is inseparable. But when it is well integrated, it becomes the work of a fine masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-chong-hasang/light-and-subject-is-inseparable-but-when-it-is-well-integrated-it/) [Paul Chong Hasang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-chong-hasang/) > [Know your literary tradition, savor it, steal from it, but when you sit down to write, forget about worshiping greatness and fetishizing masterpieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/know-your-literary-tradition-savor-it-steal-from-it-but-when-you-sit/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [Rich men are resolved to be astonished at nothing. When they see a masterpiece, they must needs at one glance recognize some flaw to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/rich-men-are-resolved-to-be-astonished-at-nothing-when-they-see-a/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Leaders don't rise to the pinnacle of success without developing the right set of attitudes and habits; they make every day a masterpiece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/leaders-don-t-rise-to-the-pinnacle-of-success-without-developing-the/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Act as if the universe is a prodigious miracle created for your amusement and illumination. Assume that secret helpers are working behind the scenes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/act-as-if-the-universe-is-a-prodigious-miracle-created-for-your/) [Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/) > [The future turns out to be something that you make instead of find. It isn't waiting for your arrival, either with an arrest warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-future-turns-out-to-be-something-that-you-make-instead-of-find-it/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [“May we each design our own masterpiece”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-muehlfelder/may-we-each-design-our-own-masterpiece/) [Tammy Muehlfelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-muehlfelder/) > [Of all the arts in which the wise excel, nature's chief masterpiece is writing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/of-all-the-arts-in-which-the-wise-excel-nature-s-chief-masterpiece-is/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [Respect the masterpiece. It is true reverence to man. There is no quality so great, none so much needed now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/respect-the-masterpiece-it-is-true-reverence-to-man-there-is-no/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [The goal of a passionate artist is to try and make a masterpiece each and every time, yet be wise enough to know you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donato-giancola/the-goal-of-a-passionate-artist-is-to-try-and-make-a-masterpiece-each/) [Donato Giancola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donato-giancola/) [Browse all 624 Masterpiece quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kakuzō Okakura" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon-our-finest-feelings/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Masterpiece" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon-our-finest-feelings/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/kakuz-okakura-14816_masterpiece_the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon_765478.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The masterpiece is symphony played upon our finest feelings.” — Kakuzō Okakura", "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": "Kakuzō Okakura", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kakuz-okakura/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The masterpiece is symphony played upon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon-our-finest-feelings/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kakuz-okakura/the-masterpiece-is-symphony-played-upon-our-finest-feelings/#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 } } ] } ```