--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All real art is, in its true sense, is a…" description: "\"“All real art is, in its true sense, is a religious impulse; there is no such thing as a non-religious subject. But much bad or downright sacrilegious ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9af/madeleine-l-engle-345_art_all-real-art-is-in-its-true-sense-is-a-r_2163243.jpg" --- # All real art is, in its true sense, is a religious… ![“All real art is, in its true sense, is a religious impulse; there is no such thing as a non-religious subject. But much bad or downright sacrilegious art depicts so-called religious subjects…Conversely, much great religious art has been written or painted or composed by people who thought they…” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9af/madeleine-l-engle-345_art_all-real-art-is-in-its-true-sense-is-a-r_2163243.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9af/madeleine-l-engle-345_art_all-real-art-is-in-its-true-sense-is-a-r_2163243.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9af/madeleine-l-engle-345_art_all-real-art-is-in-its-true-sense-is-a-r_2163243.jpg) > ““All real art is, in its true sense, is a religious impulse; there is no such thing as a non-religious subject. But much bad or downright sacrilegious art depicts so-called religious subjects…Conversely, much great religious art has been written or painted or composed by people who thought they were atheists.”” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that all art is fundamentally driven by a spiritual impulse, even when it appears secular. **In simple terms:** Art is always rooted in a religious or spiritual drive. Key Takeaway Recognize the deeper spiritual motives behind creative works. Themes art spirituality creativity Mood thoughtful analytical inquisitive Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - art criticism - museum curation - creative workshops - philosophical debates - literary analysis Key Concepts religious impulse secularism artistic intent Questions to Reflect On - Do you see spiritual undercurrents in modern secular art? - Can art be truly non-religious? A Different Perspective Some may argue that art can be purely aesthetic without spiritual meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Real Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-art-839618/) [Religious art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-art/) [Religious Impulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-impulse-341480/) [Religious Subject](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-subject-1527743/) [Religious Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-subjects-4585055/) ## Related quotes > [All real art is, in its true sense, religious; it is a religious impulse; there is no such thing as a non-religious subject. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/all-real-art-is-in-its-true-sense-religious-it-is-a-religious-impulse/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [When a child who has been conceived in love is born to a man and a woman, the joy of that birth sings throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/when-a-child-who-has-been-conceived-in-love-is-born-to-a-man-and-a/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [A wonderful area for speculative academic work is the unknowable. These days religious subjects are in disfavor, but there are still plenty of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/a-wonderful-area-for-speculative-academic-work-is-the-unknowable/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Basically there can be no categories such as 'religious' art and 'secular' art, because all true art is incarnational, and therefore 'religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/basically-there-can-be-no-categories-such-as-religious-art-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“There was also a large picture in a very handsome frame, done in coloured crayons. It looked like a religious subject. 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Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Secular humanists suspect there is something more gloriously human about resisting the religious impulse; about accepting the cold truth, even if that truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-flynn/secular-humanists-suspect-there-is-something-more-gloriously-human/) [Tom Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-flynn/) > [“Deep in ourselves resides the religious impulse. Out of the passions of our clay it rises. We have religion when we stop deluding ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-helfer-as-stated-by-kalli-gooma/deep-in-ourselves-resides-the-religious-impulse-out-of-the-passions/) [Ralph Helfer as stated by Kalli Gooma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-helfer-as-stated-by-kalli-gooma/) > [As the genuine religious impulse becomes dominant, adoration more and more takes charge. 'I come to seek God because I need Him', may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/as-the-genuine-religious-impulse-becomes-dominant-adoration-more-and/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [“The root of addict in latin is the word addicere, which means religious devotion. It was an attribute of beginning monks. There is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/the-root-of-addict-in-latin-is-the-word-addicere-which-means/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [The love of life, at any and every level of development, is the religious impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-love-of-life-at-any-and-every-level-of-development-is-the/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. 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He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. 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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. 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