--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The artist's work constitutes the only…" description: "\"The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow men since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg" --- # The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory… ![“The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow men since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the unborn.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg) > “The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow men since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the unborn.” [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist finds fulfillment through creating works that connect with both past and future, as real friendships are limited. **In simple terms:** Art links us with past and future. Key Takeaway Create to bridge time. Themes art legacy friendship Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - music - legacy building Key Concepts creative expression temporal connection Questions to Reflect On - What does art mean to you? - How can art foster lasting bonds? A Different Perspective Art may not replace real human connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artist Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist-work-260751/) [Dead Unborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-unborn-3819707/) [Fellow man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellow-man/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Friends Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-dead-463670/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Seeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-seeks-4085876/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-friends/) [Unborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unborn/) ## Related quotes > [There are two perfectly good men, one dead, and the other unborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverbs/there-are-two-perfectly-good-men-one-dead-and-the-other-unborn/) [Chinese Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinese-proverbs/) > [I cannot be grasped in the here and now, For my dwelling place is much among the dead, As the yet unborn, Slightly closer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/i-cannot-be-grasped-in-the-here-and-now-for-my-dwelling-place-is-much/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [“Human beings had created words to communicate with the dead, and with those yet unborn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shion-miura/human-beings-had-created-words-to-communicate-with-the-dead-and-with/) [Shion Miura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shion-miura/) > [“The dead and the unborn are as much members of society as the living. To dishonour the dead is to reject the relation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/on-rousseau-roger-scruton/the-dead-and-the-unborn-are-as-much-members-of-society-as-the-living/) [On Rousseau Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/on-rousseau-roger-scruton/) > [I believe that our friends among the dead really mind us and look out for us. Often there might be a big boulder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-believe-that-our-friends-among-the-dead-really-mind-us-and-look-out/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“I think I figured out why I don't have more friends. I find dead people more interesting than the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-think-i-figured-out-why-i-don-t-have-more-friends-i-find-dead/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [Last winter, when so many Living joined the Dead and our prey became scarce, I watched some of my friends become full-dead. The transition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/last-winter-when-so-many-living-joined-the-dead-and-our-prey-became/) [Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/) > [The only friends I have are the dead who have bequethed their writings to me--I have no others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/the-only-friends-i-have-are-the-dead-who-have-bequethed-their/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [“You needed friends. A dead phone provided no companionship; an empty house no comfort. The latest fashions provided no food, but you could always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wallace/you-needed-friends-a-dead-phone-provided-no-companionship-an-empty/) [Benjamin Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wallace/) > [You know, most of my friends are either dead or in jail. There were a lot of tragedies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-long/you-know-most-of-my-friends-are-either-dead-or-in-jail-there-were-a/) [Howie Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-long/) > [Often there might be a big boulder of misery over your path about to fall on you, but your friends among the dead hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/often-there-might-be-a-big-boulder-of-misery-over-your-path-about-to/) [John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/) > [“We’ve got to call 911,” she said. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” he asked. “Our friends are dead. There’s probably drugs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dunbar/we-ve-got-to-call-911-she-said-are-you-sure-that-s-such-a-good-idea/) [Robert Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dunbar/) > [“I never see you now,’ she said. ‘I never seem to see anyone I like. I don’t know why.’ But she spoke as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/i-never-see-you-now-she-said-i-never-seem-to-see-anyone-i-like-i-don/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [The only friends I have are the dead who have bequeathed their writings to me — I have no others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/the-only-friends-i-have-are-the-dead-who-have-bequeathed-their/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [Do not keep the alabaster boxes of your love and tenderness sealed up until your friends are dead. Fill their lives with sweetness, speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/williams-childs/do-not-keep-the-alabaster-boxes-of-your-love-and-tenderness-sealed-up/) [Williams Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/williams-childs/) ## More by Lawrence Durrell > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [It only takes one match to ignite a haystack, or one remark to fire a mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-only-takes-one-match-to-ignite-a-haystack-or-one-remark-to-fire-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“He felt that his mind had become a battle-ground for the forces of good and evil and that his task was to strain every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-felt-that-his-mind-had-become-a-battle-ground-for-the-forces-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Science is the poetry of the intellect and poetry the science of the heart's affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/science-is-the-poetry-of-the-intellect-and-poetry-the-science-of-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/travel-can-be-one-of-the-most-rewarding-forms-of-introspection/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Everyone loathes his own country and countrymen if he is any sort of artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/everyone-loathes-his-own-country-and-countrymen-if-he-is-any-sort-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“The slither of tyres across the waves of the desert under a sky blue and frost-bound in winter; or in summer a fearful lunar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-slither-of-tyres-across-the-waves-of-the-desert-under-a-sky-blue/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) [Explore all 179 Lawrence Durrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow men since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the unborn.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Durrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-satisfactory-relationship-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-satisfactory-relationship-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ea/lawrence-durrell-2169_art_the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-s_1272752.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The artist's work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow men since he…” — Lawrence Durrell", "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": "Lawrence Durrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The artist's work constitutes the only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-satisfactory-relationship-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-artist-s-work-constitutes-the-only-satisfactory-relationship-he/#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 } } ] } ```