--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an…" description: "\"Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic conception, and . . . it is your function as creators of beautiful things to portray with the great..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png" --- # Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic… ![“Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic conception, and . . . it is your function as creators of beautiful things to portray with the greatest efficacy the sublime beauty and inevitable reality of the Fascist ideal.” quote by Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png) > “Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic conception, and . . . it is your function as creators of beautiful things to portray with the greatest efficacy the sublime beauty and inevitable reality of the Fascist ideal.” [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fascism seeks to impose a singular, glorified vision through powerful, beautiful imagery. **In simple terms:** Fascism uses art to glorify its ideals. Key Takeaway Critically examine artistic propaganda. Themes politics art propaganda Mood analytical critical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - Political rallies - media campaigns - public monuments - film production Key Concepts Aesthetic manipulation authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - What visual cues signal ideological bias? - How can art resist oppressive narratives? A Different Perspective Beauty can be weaponized, not always uplifting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aesthetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beautiful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-things/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Efficacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efficacy/) [Fascism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascism/) [Fascists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascists/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) ## Related quotes > [In contrast to the asexual chasteness of official communist art , Nazi art is both prurient and idealizing. A utopian aesthetics (physical perfection; identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/in-contrast-to-the-asexual-chasteness-of-official-communist-art-nazi/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/one-thing-however-i-must-premise-that-without-the-assistance-of/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Behavior must also be adequately assessed under appropriate circumstances. Ill-defined global measures of perceived self-efficacy or defective assessments of performance will yield discordances. Disparities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/behavior-must-also-be-adequately-assessed-under-appropriate/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [In the early 1700's, two physicians...learned about pinkroot's efficacy from the Indians. The word soon spread to the general public, who praised this worm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/in-the-early-1700-s-two-physicians-learned-about-pinkroot-s-efficacy/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [We must always speak of the efficacy of the ministry in such a manner that the entire praise of the work may be reserved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/we-must-always-speak-of-the-efficacy-of-the-ministry-in-such-a-manner/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [It is the persistence of dance in helping people to resist, reduce, and escape stress since early humanity that attests to its efficacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lynne-hanna/it-is-the-persistence-of-dance-in-helping-people-to-resist-reduce-and/) [Judith Lynne Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lynne-hanna/) > [Reasonably accurate appraisal of one's own capabilities is, therefore, of considerable value in successful functioning. Large misjudgments of personal efficacy in either direction have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/reasonably-accurate-appraisal-of-one-s-own-capabilities-is-therefore/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [I would like to cite an instance which proves the efficacy of clean living on the part of an athlete coupled with the inspiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-taylor/i-would-like-to-cite-an-instance-which-proves-the-efficacy-of-clean/) [Major Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-taylor/) > [Agemates provide the most informative points of reference for comparative efficacy appraisal and verification. Children are, therefore, especially sensitive to their relative standing among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/agemates-provide-the-most-informative-points-of-reference-for/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [Self-efficacy is the belief in one's capabilities to organize and execute the sources of action required to manage prospective situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/self-efficacy-is-the-belief-in-one-s-capabilities-to-organize-and/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [“Our stable and eternal verities are being challenged. There's a kind of postmodern breakdown in journalism. The breadth of information sources and the speed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-polumbaum/our-stable-and-eternal-verities-are-being-challenged-there-s-a-kind/) [Judy Polumbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-polumbaum/) > [God, once imagined to be an omnipresent force throughout the whole world of nature and man. has been increasingly tending to seem omniabsent. Everywhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corliss-lamont/god-once-imagined-to-be-an-omnipresent-force-throughout-the-whole/) [Corliss Lamont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corliss-lamont/) > [In images,... beauty was the agency that caused visual pleasure in the beholder; and any theory of images that was not grounded in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/in-images-beauty-was-the-agency-that-caused-visual-pleasure-in-the/) [Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/) > [Persons who have a strong sense of efficacy deploy their attention and effort to the demands of the situation and are spurred by obstacles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/persons-who-have-a-strong-sense-of-efficacy-deploy-their-attention/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [Many of us, whether in the jungles of Asia or on the streets of Chicago, had discovered that noble causes can lead to ignoble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/many-of-us-whether-in-the-jungles-of-asia-or-on-the-streets-of/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) ## More by Louis de Bernieres > [Family law is institutionally anti-male. I've been lobbying MPs, and I'm not going to give up campaigning for equality until I get equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/family-law-is-institutionally-anti-male-i-ve-been-lobbying-mps-and-i/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“The dead can read tears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-dead-can-read-tears/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [...but then the general trouble with ignorance is always that the ignorant person has no idea that that's what they are. You can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/but-then-the-general-trouble-with-ignorance-is-always-that-the/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Love delayed is lust augmented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/love-delayed-is-lust-augmented/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [No man is a man until he has been a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/no-man-is-a-man-until-he-has-been-a-soldier/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Did you know that childhood is the only time in our lives when insanity is not only permitted to us, but expected?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/did-you-know-that-childhood-is-the-only-time-in-our-lives-when/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [God is an oppressor, He is incapable of human sympathy; behind a smiling face He hides an evil heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/god-is-an-oppressor-he-is-incapable-of-human-sympathy-behind-a/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [Your lips are like sugar And your cheeks an apple Your breasts are paradise And your body a lily. O, to kiss the sugar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/your-lips-are-like-sugar-and-your-cheeks-an-apple-your-breasts-are/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [When you fall in love, it is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake, and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/when-you-fall-in-love-it-is-a-temporary-madness-it-erupts-like-an/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [The De Bernieres were very military. I broke the military tradition but I was terribly proud of my father being a soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/the-de-bernieres-were-very-military-i-broke-the-military-tradition/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/we-should-care-for-each-other-more-than-we-care-for-ideas-or-else-we/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Pelagia put her hands on her hips, taking advantage of the superiority implicit in the fact that she was standing and he lying down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/pelagia-put-her-hands-on-her-hips-taking-advantage-of-the-superiority/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“There comes a point in life where each one of us who survives begins to feel like a ghost that has forgotten to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/there-comes-a-point-in-life-where-each-one-of-us-who-survives-begins/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“Men are sometimes driven by things that to a women make no sense, but she did know that Corelli had to be with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/men-are-sometimes-driven-by-things-that-to-a-women-make-no-sense-but/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [“All their lovers' talk began with the phrase "After the war". After the war, when we're married, shall we live in Italy? There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/all-their-lovers-talk-began-with-the-phrase-after-the-war-after-the/) [Louis de Bernières](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) [Explore all 99 Louis de Bernieres quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) ## More Aesthetic quotes > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [I don't think I was ever thinking critically about my aesthetic, I think it's enough when you're little just to understand that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/i-don-t-think-i-was-ever-thinking-critically-about-my-aesthetic-i/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [I'm kind of still down with Virg Woolf on this one: "women must kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have been 'killed'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/i-m-kind-of-still-down-with-virg-woolf-on-this-one-women-must-kill/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in trying to imagine the unimaginable and failing, if you are a reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/there-is-a-certain-aesthetic-pleasure-in-trying-to-imagine-the/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [I try to get the hip-hop aesthetic, most times without an MC. I don't use a rapper or a DJ to give it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/i-try-to-get-the-hip-hop-aesthetic-most-times-without-an-mc-i-don-t/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [It's so important what you're doing in your life. It's tremendously important to the work, and no aesthetic theories take that into account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maus/it-s-so-important-what-you-re-doing-in-your-life-it-s-tremendously/) [John Maus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maus/) > [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [In reality no food is valued solely for its nutritive power and no garment or house solely for the protection it affords against cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-reality-no-food-is-valued-solely-for-its-nutritive-power-and-no/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful. Here the aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/art-is-realistic-when-it-strives-to-express-an-ethical-ideal-realism/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ronson/i-had-always-wanted-to-expand-to-beauty-but-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be/) [Charlotte Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ronson/) > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular 'ism', but a gathering together of writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-metcalf/i-wanted-the-press-to-become-something-of-a-movement-not-a-movement/) John Metcalf [Browse all 953 Aesthetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic conception, and . . . it is your function as creators of beautiful things to portray with the greatest efficacy the sublime beauty and inevitable reality of the Fascist ideal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis de Bernieres" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-an-aesthetic-conception-and-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aesthetic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-an-aesthetic-conception-and-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/louis-de-bernieres-5492_aesthetic_fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-a_1683986.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom an aesthetic conception, and . . . it is your function as creators of…” — Louis de Bernieres", "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": "Louis de Bernieres", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Fascism is fundamentally and at bottom...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-an-aesthetic-conception-and-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/fascism-is-fundamentally-and-at-bottom-an-aesthetic-conception-and-it/#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 } } ] } ```