--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At certain epochs, man has felt conscious…" description: "\"“At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something about himself - body and spirit - which was outside the day-to-day struggle for existence and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg" --- # At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something… ![“At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something about himself - body and spirit - which was outside the day-to-day struggle for existence and the night-to-night struggle with fear; and he has felt the need to develop these qualities of thought and feeling so that they might approach as…” quote by Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg) > ““At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something about himself - body and spirit - which was outside the day-to-day struggle for existence and the night-to-night struggle with fear; and he has felt the need to develop these qualities of thought and feeling so that they might approach as nearly as possible to an ideal of perfection - reason, justice, physical beauty, all of them in equilibrium. He has managed to satisfy this need in various ways - through myths, through dance and song, through systems of philosophy and through the order that he has imposed upon the visible world.”” [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans seek to develop thought and feeling toward an ideal balance of reason, justice, and beauty, using myths, arts, philosophy, and order. **In simple terms:** People strive for balanced perfection. Key Takeaway Cultivate balanced ideals. Themes philosophy art humanism Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical cultural When to use this quote - education - creative arts - community building Key Concepts reason justice beauty balance Questions to Reflect On - How do you define personal perfection? - Which medium best expresses your ideals? A Different Perspective Ideal balance may be unattainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Conscious Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-body-310077/) [Develop Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/develop-qualities-1558896/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Man Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-felt-492872/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Physical beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-beauty/) [Qualities Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities-thought-4773021/) [Struggle for existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-for-existence/) ## Related quotes > [Imagination! Imagination! I put it first years ago, when I was asked what qualities I thought necessary for success on the stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-terry/imagination-imagination-i-put-it-first-years-ago-when-i-was-asked-2/) [Ellen Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-terry/) > [The core philosophy we share with leaders is that everyone can develop the qualities in themselves. We all have strengths, but where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-bates/the-core-philosophy-we-share-with-leaders-is-that-everyone-can/) [Suzanne Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-bates/) > [Qualities like love and compassion are not just abstract virtues that are the property of saints and adepts. Anyone can develop these qualities in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/qualities-like-love-and-compassion-are-not-just-abstract-virtues-that/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [“If we sow the seeds of hatred and envy and discouragement in others, we, in turn, develop these qualities in ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/if-we-sow-the-seeds-of-hatred-and-envy-and-discouragement-in-others/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [By taking elements you observe in life, you can develop qualities in your acting life that you don't ordinarily call upon in your personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-adler/by-taking-elements-you-observe-in-life-you-can-develop-qualities-in/) [Stella Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-adler/) > [It is a simple truth that if we identify ourselves as being fundamentally pure, strong, and capable we will actually develop these qualities, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thubten-yeshe/it-is-a-simple-truth-that-if-we-identify-ourselves-as-being/) [Thubten Yeshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thubten-yeshe/) > [“What I learned was that in order to achive great success in life, you must become a special kind of person. To rise above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/what-i-learned-was-that-in-order-to-achive-great-success-in-life-you/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [ “Everyone becomes equally conscious of his body as a separate and complete organism, \[but\] everyone does not become equally conscious of himself as a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/everyone-becomes-equally-conscious-of-his-body-as-a-separate-and/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I am conscious of how my body signifies in every space. In every place of the world our body has a different significance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bocafloja/i-am-conscious-of-how-my-body-signifies-in-every-space-in-every-place/) [Bocafloja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bocafloja/) > [As you become more conscious of your body as eternity, a sense of ease, a fullness beyond description occurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/as-you-become-more-conscious-of-your-body-as-eternity-a-sense-of-ease/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The new-born child does not realise that his body is more a part of himself than surrounding objects, and will play with his toes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-new-born-child-does-not-realise-that-his-body-is-more-a-part-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I never remember being self-conscious about my body. That just comes from being in a locker room for so long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-never-remember-being-self-conscious-about-my-body-that-just-comes/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [“The new-born child does not realize that his body is more a part of himself than surrounding objects, and will play with his toes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-new-born-child-does-not-realize-that-his-body-is-more-a-part-of/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I'm very conscious of my body, and how I take care of it. I like clean foods, drink a lot of water, and soak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-nokia/i-m-very-conscious-of-my-body-and-how-i-take-care-of-it-i-like-clean/) [Princess Nokia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-nokia/) > [I'm a little self-conscious about my body. I love to wear hoodies because you can get cozy and eat some food and your belly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-padalecki/i-m-a-little-self-conscious-about-my-body-i-love-to-wear-hoodies/) [Jared Padalecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-padalecki/) ## More by Kenneth Clark > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [All color is no color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/all-color-is-no-color/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Ruthless, greedy, tyrannical, disreputable they have had one principle worth all the rest, the principle of delight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/ruthless-greedy-tyrannical-disreputable-they-have-had-one-principle/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Those who wish, in the interest of morality, to reduce Leonardo, that inexhaustible source of creative power, to a neutral or sexless agency, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/those-who-wish-in-the-interest-of-morality-to-reduce-leonardo-that/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [It is often said that Leonardo drew so well because he knew about things; it is truer to say that he knew about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/it-is-often-said-that-leonardo-drew-so-well-because-he-knew-about/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [A lot of people you think you know you don't know until you find out you don't know then it may be too late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/a-lot-of-people-you-think-you-know-you-don-t-know-until-you-find-out/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [The dark ghettos are social, political, educational and-above all-economic colonies. Their inhabitants are subject peoples, victims of the greed, cruelty, insensitivity, guilt, and fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-dark-ghettos-are-social-political-educational-and-above-all/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Devotion to the facts will always give the pleasures of recognition; adherence to the rules of design, the pleasures of order and certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/devotion-to-the-facts-will-always-give-the-pleasures-of-recognition/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Over and above the political, economic, sociological, and international implications of racial prejudices, their major significance is that they place unnecessary burdens upon human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/over-and-above-the-political-economic-sociological-and-international/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Racial prejudices are indication of a disturbed and potentially unstable society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/racial-prejudices-are-indication-of-a-disturbed-and-potentially/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Fine colour implies a unified relationship, in which each part is subordinate to the whole, and the transitions between them are felt to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/fine-colour-implies-a-unified-relationship-in-which-each-part-is/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Energy is eternal delight; and from the earliest times human beings have tried to imprison it in some durable hieroglyphic. It is perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/energy-is-eternal-delight-and-from-the-earliest-times-human-beings/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [All great civilizations, in their early stages, are based on success in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/all-great-civilizations-in-their-early-stages-are-based-on-success-in/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [This became Delacroix 's theme: that the achievements of the spirit all that a great library contained were the result of a state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/this-became-delacroix-s-theme-that-the-achievements-of-the-spirit-all/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) [Explore all 71 Kenneth Clark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something about himself - body and spirit - which was outside the day-to-day struggle for existence and the night-to-night struggle with fear; and he has felt the need to develop these qualities of thought and feeling so that they might approach as nearly as possible to an ideal of perfection - reason, justice, physical beauty, all of them in equilibrium. He has managed to satisfy this need in various ways - through myths, through dance and song, through systems of philosophy and through the order that he has imposed upon the visible world.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kenneth Clark" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious-of-something-about-himself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious-of-something-about-himself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/113/kenneth-clark-9681_beauty_at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious_3002255.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At certain epochs, man has felt conscious of something about himself - body and spirit - which was outside…” — Kenneth Clark", "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": "Kenneth Clark", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At certain epochs, man has felt...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious-of-something-about-himself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/at-certain-epochs-man-has-felt-conscious-of-something-about-himself/#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 } } ] } ```