--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is a human activity having for its…" description: "\"Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.\" — Leo Nikolaevich ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg" --- # Art is a human activity having for its purpose the… ![“Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.” quote by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg) > “Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.” [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art aims to convey humanity’s most elevated emotions to others. **In simple terms:** Art shares our highest feelings. Key Takeaway Create and share profound works. Themes art emotion communication humanity Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - museum c - public speaking - education - therapy Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can art bridge cultural gaps? - What emotions do you most want to express? A Different Perspective Art may not reach all audiences equally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-human-748708/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Feelings Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-men-782298/) [Having Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-purpose-269062/) [Human activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-activity/) [Men Risen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-risen-338398/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [Art is a human activity consisting in this, that one man consciously, by means of certain external signs, hands on to others feelings he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/art-is-a-human-activity-consisting-in-this-that-one-man-consciously/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Every work of art causes the receiver to enter into a certain kind of relationship both with him who produced the art, and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/every-work-of-art-causes-the-receiver-to-enter-into-a-certain-kind-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Art, as I see it, is any human activity which doesn’t grow out of either of our species’ two basic instincts: survival and reproduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/art-as-i-see-it-is-any-human-activity-which-doesn-t-grow-out-of/) [Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/) > [It is by no haphazard chance that in every age men have risen early to pray. The first thing that marks decline in spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-by-no-haphazard-chance-that-in-every-age-men-have-risen-early/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [...the number of saintly men has not yet risen to the level where the census makes them a separate statistical category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/the-number-of-saintly-men-has-not-yet-risen-to-the-level-where-the/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [My feelings about men are the result of my experience. I have little sympathy for them. Like a Jew just released from Dachau, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/my-feelings-about-men-are-the-result-of-my-experience-i-have-little/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Women are more attuned to feelings than men are, and if they’re not being truthful, more often than not it’s because they think truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/women-are-more-attuned-to-feelings-than-men-are-and-if-they-re-not/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“There are no defenders of man’s mind—in the world’s greatest scientific-technological civilization. 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These men should use their wishes more wisely. (Prepare To Die!,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tobin/lots-of-men-think-that-women-should-tell-the-truth-explain-their/) [Paul Tobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tobin/) > [Monsters, among other brutes, are the ones without guilt feelings. Perhaps Hitler did not have any, or Himmler, or Stalin. Maybe Mafia bosses do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/monsters-among-other-brutes-are-the-ones-without-guilt-feelings/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Together, we came to understand how we beg men to express feelings, but then when men do express feelings, we call it sexism, male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/together-we-came-to-understand-how-we-beg-men-to-express-feelings-but/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) ## More by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy > [What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness! A beautiful woman utters absurdities: we listen, and we hear not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/what-a-strange-illusion-it-is-to-suppose-that-beauty-is-goodness-a/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [Whatever happens to be in style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/whatever-happens-to-be-in-style/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [Vengeance is mine, and I will repay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/vengeance-is-mine-and-i-will-repay/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [It is true, I deny the incomprehensible Trinity, and the fable regarding the fall of man, which is absurd in our day. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/it-is-true-i-deny-the-incomprehensible-trinity-and-the-fable/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [If you are content with the old world, try to preserve it, it is very sick and cannot hold out much longer. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/if-you-are-content-with-the-old-world-try-to-preserve-it-it-is-very/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [Religious superstition consists in the belief that the sacrifices, often of human lives, made to the imaginary being are essential, and that men may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/religious-superstition-consists-in-the-belief-that-the-sacrifices/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [It is easier to produce ten volumes of philosophical writing than to put one principle into practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/it-is-easier-to-produce-ten-volumes-of-philosophical-writing-than-to/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [A human can be healthy without killing animals for food. Therefore if he eats meat he participates in taking animal life merely for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/a-human-can-be-healthy-without-killing-animals-for-food-therefore-if/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [Knowledge is being aware that fire can burn; wisdom is remembering the blister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/knowledge-is-being-aware-that-fire-can-burn-wisdom-is-remembering-the/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [True science investigates and brings to human perception such truths and such knowledge as the people of a given time and society consider most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/true-science-investigates-and-brings-to-human-perception-such-truths/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [If it is true that there are as many minds as there are heads, then there are as many kinds of love as there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/if-it-is-true-that-there-are-as-many-minds-as-there-are-heads-then/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [If a man earnestly seeks a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from animal food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/if-a-man-earnestly-seeks-a-righteous-life-his-first-act-of-abstinence/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [The means to gain happiness is to throw out from oneself like a spider in all directions an adhesive web of love, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/the-means-to-gain-happiness-is-to-throw-out-from-oneself-like-a/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [In this definition is contained the answer to the question as to what gives men the power to establish laws. What gives them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/in-this-definition-is-contained-the-answer-to-the-question-as-to-what/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) > [The educated minority, although no longer believing in the existing religious teaching, still pretend to believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/the-educated-minority-although-no-longer-believing-in-the-existing/) [Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) [Explore all 23 Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/) ## 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": "Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-purpose-the-transmission-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-purpose-the-transmission-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b79/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy-25215_art_art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-p_1244178.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings…” — Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy", "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": "Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Art is a human activity having...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-purpose-the-transmission-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-nikolaevich-tolstoy/art-is-a-human-activity-having-for-its-purpose-the-transmission-to/#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 } } ] } ```