--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what a humiliation for me when…" description: "\"But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone standing next to me heard ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg" --- # But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next… ![“But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone standing next to me heard a shepherd singing and again I heard nothing. Such incidents drove me almost to despair; a little more of that and I would have ended my life - it…” quote by Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg) > “But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone standing next to me heard a shepherd singing and again I heard nothing. Such incidents drove me almost to despair; a little more of that and I would have ended my life - it was only my art that held me back.” [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beethoven describes his profound isolation caused by his deafness, which left him unable to share in simple auditory experiences, pushing him toward despair, yet his commitment to music saved him. **In simple terms:** His deafness isolated him, but art kept him alive. Key Takeaway Art can be a lifeline amid personal suffering. Themes disability artistic perseverance mental health loneliness Mood melancholic determined Type personal testimony artistic reflection When to use this quote - a musician coping with hearing loss - an artist facing creative block - someone battling depression Key Concepts existential purpose creative resilience Practical Applications - use creative expression to counteract despair - seek supportive communities for isolated individuals Questions to Reflect On - How can creative work serve as a therapeutic tool? - What other supports complement artistic coping? A Different Perspective Reliance on art alone may not address underlying mental health needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Hearing loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing-loss/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shepherds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shepherds/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) ## Related quotes > [All night have the roses heard The flute, violin, bassoon; All night has the casement jessamine stirr'd To the dancers dancing in tune; Till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/all-night-have-the-roses-heard-the-flute-violin-bassoon-all-night-has/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“From somewhere off in the distance, he heard a wolf howl. And he felt something come alive inside him. Something he had let die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-dennison/from-somewhere-off-in-the-distance-he-heard-a-wolf-howl-and-he-felt/) [Brad Dennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-dennison/) > [Oh you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn, or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me. You do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/oh-you-men-who-think-or-say-that-i-am-malevolent-stubborn-or/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Yet it was impossible for me to say to people, 'Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.' Ah, how could I possibly admit an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/yet-it-was-impossible-for-me-to-say-to-people-speak-louder-shout-for/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [5% of all hearing loss is a result of sitting in a restaurant next to a table full of women who just received a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/5-of-all-hearing-loss-is-a-result-of-sitting-in-a-restaurant-next-to/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [When we are in health, all sounds fife and drum for us; we hear the notes of music in the air, or catch its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-we-are-in-health-all-sounds-fife-and-drum-for-us-we-hear-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [How sweetly sounds the voice of a good woman! It is so seldom heard that, when it speaks,it ravishes all senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-massinger/how-sweetly-sounds-the-voice-of-a-good-woman-it-is-so-seldom-heard/) [Philip Massinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-massinger/) > [One of the things that I discovered in lecturing was that gradually one ceased to hear what one said one heard what the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/one-of-the-things-that-i-discovered-in-lecturing-was-that-gradually/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-townshend/hearing-loss-is-a-terrible-thing-because-it-cannot-be-repaired/) [Pete Townshend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-townshend/) > [But animated nature sweeter still, to soothe and satisfy the human ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/but-animated-nature-sweeter-still-to-soothe-and-satisfy-the-human-ear/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [“Although Thanksgiving comes but once a year, every day should be a day of Thanks. Among all the challenges that we face as people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monique-hammond/although-thanksgiving-comes-but-once-a-year-every-day-should-be-a-day/) Monique Hammond > [Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/blindness-separates-us-from-things-but-deafness-separates-us-from/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [The hearing ear is always found close to the speaking tongue; and no genius can long or often utter anything which is not invited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-hearing-ear-is-always-found-close-to-the-speaking-tongue-and-no/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I think the hearing loss started with 'Bonanza.' Sometimes the director would put us in a box canyon and have us fire our guns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-think-the-hearing-loss-started-with-bonanza-sometimes-the-director/) [Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/) > [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/must-whales-and-dolphins-be-subjected-to-deafening-noise-that-will/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) ## More by Ludwig van Beethoven > [Strange, I feel as if up to now I had written no more than a few notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/strange-i-feel-as-if-up-to-now-i-had-written-no-more-than-a-few-notes/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [After Rossini dies, who will be there to promote his music?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/after-rossini-dies-who-will-be-there-to-promote-his-music/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [In the world of art, as in the whole of creation, freedom and progress are the main objectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/in-the-world-of-art-as-in-the-whole-of-creation-freedom-and-progress/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [I despise a world which does not feel that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/i-despise-a-world-which-does-not-feel-that-music-is-a-higher/) [Ludwig Van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Good Morning, on July 7 My thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved I can only live wholly with you or not at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/good-morning-on-july-7-my-thoughts-go-out-to-you-my-immortal-beloved/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Off with you! You're a happy fellow, for you'll give happiness and joy to many other people. There is nothing better or greater than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/off-with-you-you-re-a-happy-fellow-for-you-ll-give-happiness-and-joy/) [Ludwig Van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [“You will not find a treatise that is too learned for me; without laying claim to any genuine learning, I yet accustomed myself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/you-will-not-find-a-treatise-that-is-too-learned-for-me-without/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Art! Who comprehends her? With whom can one consult concerning this great goddess?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/art-who-comprehends-her-with-whom-can-one-consult-concerning-this/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Don't only practise your art, but force your way into its secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/don-t-only-practise-your-art-but-force-your-way-into-its-secrets/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [There are and always will be thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/there-are-and-always-will-be-thousands-of-princes-but-there-is-only/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [To me the highest thing, after God, is my honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/to-me-the-highest-thing-after-god-is-my-honor/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [The amount of money one needs is terrifying...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/the-amount-of-money-one-needs-is-terrifying/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-should-strike-fire-from-the-heart-of-man-and-bring-tears-from/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Artists who have won fame are often embarrassed by it; thus their first works are often their best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/artists-who-have-won-fame-are-often-embarrassed-by-it-thus-their/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) > [Whoever tells a lie is not pure of heart, and such a person can not cook a clean soup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/whoever-tells-a-lie-is-not-pure-of-heart-and-such-a-person-can-not/) [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) [Explore all 168 Ludwig van Beethoven quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/) ## 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 > [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": "But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard nothing, or someone standing next to me heard a shepherd singing and again I heard nothing. Such incidents drove me almost to despair; a little more of that and I would have ended my life - it was only my art that held me back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ludwig van Beethoven" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someone-standing-next-to-me-heard/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someone-standing-next-to-me-heard/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/ludwig-van-beethoven-2361_art_but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someo_99256.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But what a humiliation for me when someone standing next to me heard a flute in the distance and I heard…” — Ludwig van Beethoven", "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": "Ludwig van Beethoven", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But what a humiliation for me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someone-standing-next-to-me-heard/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/but-what-a-humiliation-for-me-when-someone-standing-next-to-me-heard/#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 } } ] } ```