---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rumfoord had known that Constant would…"
description: "\"“Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the picture by using it in commerce. Constant's father had done a similar thing when he found he ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg"
---

#  Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the…

![“Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the picture by using it in commerce. Constant's father had done a similar thing when he found he could not buy Leonardo's &quot;Mona Lisa&quot; at any price. The old man had punished Mona Lisa by having her used in an advertising campaign for…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg)

> ““Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the picture by using it in commerce. Constant's father had done a similar thing when he found he could not buy Leonardo's "Mona Lisa" at any price. The old man had punished Mona Lisa by having her used in an advertising campaign for suppositories. It was the free-enterprise way of handling beauty that threatened to get the upper hand.””

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## About This Quote

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

Commercial exploitation of art reduces its intrinsic value, turning beauty into profit.

**In simple terms:** Using art for ads cheapens its meaning.

Key Takeaway

Guard cultural integrity against profit motives.

Themes

art commercialism ethics beauty

Mood

critical contemplative

Type

philosophical satirical

When to use this quote

- advertising
- museum curation
- online memes

Key Concepts

commodification cultural heritage

Questions to Reflect On

- Should art ever be used for profit?
- How to balance funding and purity?

A Different Perspective

Profit can fund art preservation but may alter perception.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Upper hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upper-hand/)

## Related quotes

> [My favourite song of Elton's is... it's a tricky one for me. I'm a proper fan and I've probably seen him in concert about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-lucas/my-favourite-song-of-elton-s-is-it-s-a-tricky-one-for-me-i-m-a-proper/)

[Matt Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-lucas/)

> [“But is the Mona Lisa really art? Well then, what about an undetectably perfect copy of the Mona Lisa? That comparison (however sneaky) points…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/but-is-the-mona-lisa-really-art-well-then-what-about-an-undetectably/)

[David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/)

> [You should definitely visit the Louvre, a world-famous art museum where you can view, at close range, the backs of thousands of other tourists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/you-should-definitely-visit-the-louvre-a-world-famous-art-museum/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [When his eyes gazed upon her, he thought of Mona Lisa. All these suitors going by looking at beautiful objects until they came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-carlson/when-his-eyes-gazed-upon-her-he-thought-of-mona-lisa-all-these/)

[Joseph Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-carlson/)

> [. . . a jostling scrum of office buildings so mediocre that the only way you ever remember them is by the frustration they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince-charles/a-jostling-scrum-of-office-buildings-so-mediocre-that-the-only-way/)

[Prince Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince-charles/)

> [How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/how-could-we-possibly-appreciate-the-mona-lisa-if-leonardo-had/)

[Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/)

> [What I am trying to say is that it is not without any value. The value of copies is that they can direct us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/what-i-am-trying-to-say-is-that-it-is-not-without-any-value-the-value/)

[Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/)

> [A lotta cats copy the Mona Lisa, but people still line up to see the original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/a-lotta-cats-copy-the-mona-lisa-but-people-still-line-up-to-see-the/)

[Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/)

> [“Like the famous lady in the frame (Mona Lisa), to many we remain a mystery”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-jenner/like-the-famous-lady-in-the-frame-mona-lisa-to-many-we-remain-a/)

[Kris Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-jenner/)

> [The curious thing about that moustache and goatee is that when you look at the Mona Lisa it becomes a man. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-curious-thing-about-that-moustache-and-goatee-is-that-when-you/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [Inside the museum infinity goes up on trial. Voices echo, 'This is what salvation must be like after a while.' But Mona Lisa must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/inside-the-museum-infinity-goes-up-on-trial-voices-echo-this-is-what/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [You know, people call mystery novels or thrillers 'puzzles.' I never understood that, because when I buy a puzzle, I already know what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/you-know-people-call-mystery-novels-or-thrillers-puzzles-i-never/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

> [Too many people are worried about having results NOW...the Mona Lisa was not created in a day. Perfection takes time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/too-many-people-are-worried-about-having-results-now-the-mona-lisa/)

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

> [“This is the Mona Lisa of bad diners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/this-is-the-mona-lisa-of-bad-diners/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [“People going to see the Mona Lisa, not to look at it, but because it's the Mona Lisa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pope/people-going-to-see-the-mona-lisa-not-to-look-at-it-but-because-it-s/)

[Paul Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pope/)

## More by Kurt Vonnegut

> [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## More Advertising quotes

> [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/)

[Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/)

> [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/)

[Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/)

> [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/)

[Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/)

> [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/)

[William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/)

> [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/)

[Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/)

> [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/)

[Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/)

[Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/)

> [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/)

[Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/)

> [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/)

[Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/)

> [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/)

[John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/)

[Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the picture by using it in commerce. Constant's father had done a similar thing when he found he could not buy Leonardo's \"Mona Lisa\" at any price. The old man had punished Mona Lisa by having her used in an advertising campaign for suppositories. It was the free-enterprise way of handling beauty that threatened to get the upper hand.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kurt Vonnegut"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-try-to-debase-the-picture-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advertising"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-try-to-debase-the-picture-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8d/kurt-vonnegut-41_advertising_rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-t_1529091.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Rumfoord had known that Constant would try to debase the picture by using it in commerce. Constant's father…” — Kurt Vonnegut",
                "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": "Kurt Vonnegut",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Rumfoord had known that Constant would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-try-to-debase-the-picture-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/rumfoord-had-known-that-constant-would-try-to-debase-the-picture-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
