--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art is very subjective and having to put…" description: "\"Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.\" — Mena Massoud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg" --- # Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it… ![“Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.” quote by Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg) > “Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.” [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the tension between artistic interpretation and quantification, suggesting that assigning numerical value to art undermines its inherent subjectivity. **In simple terms:** Quantifying art clashes with its subjective nature. Key Takeaway Numbers can’t capture artistic value. Themes subjectivity valuation art criticism a cognitive bias Mood contemplative skeptical Type observation philosophical When to use this quote - art appraisal - gallery pricing - creative education - public art funding Key Concepts subjectivity valuation art criticism Practical Applications - art market analysis - educational curricula Questions to Reflect On - How do we assess art without reducing it to numbers? - What alternative metrics could honor artistic subjectivity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Subjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-subjective-379146/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Counterintuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterintuitive/) [Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Numbers Counterintuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers-counterintuitive-379147/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Subjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjective/) [Subjective Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjective-having-379148/) ## Related quotes > [There's a point where art is not subjective, and my example for that is Picasso. If you don't like Picasso, that's your problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-huston/there-s-a-point-where-art-is-not-subjective-and-my-example-for-that/) [Danny Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-huston/) > [I think all art is subjective - that whoever's watching it or listening to it will decide whether it's good or bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-boyd/i-think-all-art-is-subjective-that-whoever-s-watching-it-or-listening/) [Billy Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-boyd/) > [Art is subjective. Just because an executive, or even if five executives say that they don't like the idea and that they don't wanna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/art-is-subjective-just-because-an-executive-or-even-if-five/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [“cooking was an art—and art was subjective. One man could love an ice sculpture while another thought it boring. It was the same with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/cooking-was-an-art-and-art-was-subjective-one-man-could-love-an-ice/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [All art is very subjective and very personal...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milana-may/all-art-is-very-subjective-and-very-personal/) [Milana May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milana-may/) > [It's always weird when it comes to awards and awards season because how can you say that this performance is better than this performance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-hawkins/it-s-always-weird-when-it-comes-to-awards-and-awards-season-because/) [Corey Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-hawkins/) > [Art is subjective and, as an artiste, if our artistic work is not appreciated by the majority, it hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/art-is-subjective-and-as-an-artiste-if-our-artistic-work-is-not/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [Art is so subjective, and people can react however they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/art-is-so-subjective-and-people-can-react-however-they-want/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [Art is the subjective, preferential treatment of certain elements of reality; it selects and resets, distributes light and shade, omits and underlines, softens and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egon-friedell/art-is-the-subjective-preferential-treatment-of-certain-elements-of/) [Egon Friedell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egon-friedell/) > [We are artistes, be it a dance reality show or a singing reality show, it is only full of people who are potential art-makers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/we-are-artistes-be-it-a-dance-reality-show-or-a-singing-reality-show/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [“Any chef worth his spoons learned to talk, because cooking was an art—and art was subjective. One man could love an ice sculpture while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/any-chef-worth-his-spoons-learned-to-talk-because-cooking-was-an-art/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Art is subjective and art as a form of entertainment escapism is as high art as any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hart/art-is-subjective-and-art-as-a-form-of-entertainment-escapism-is-as/) [Miranda Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hart/) > [“There’s a difference between the ‘art’ of writing and the ‘craft’ of writing. Art is subjective, its beauty lies in the eyes of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-de-marigny/there-s-a-difference-between-the-art-of-writing-and-the-craft-of/) [Gerard de Marigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-de-marigny/) > [“There's no such thing as great art or poor art. Art is subjective expression. As such, it can be judged only as popular or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-brackin/there-s-no-such-thing-as-great-art-or-poor-art-art-is-subjective/) [Ron Brackin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-brackin/) > [Art is a subjective thing, and it should be a subjective thing. And the difficulty of subjectivity is that it becomes hugely problematized when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crouch/art-is-a-subjective-thing-and-it-should-be-a-subjective-thing-and-the/) [Tim Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crouch/) ## More by Mena Massoud > [I'm pretty good at going incognito.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-m-pretty-good-at-going-incognito/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I think Middle Eastern hair is very resilient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-think-middle-eastern-hair-is-very-resilient/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [There's always a wild card or two when you're casting. I'm usually the wild card. In a room of Caucasian guys, a director might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/there-s-always-a-wild-card-or-two-when-you-re-casting-i-m-usually-the/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [When we uplift artists who reflect diverse perspectives their stories not only tell us how people view others, but how they view themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/when-we-uplift-artists-who-reflect-diverse-perspectives-their-stories/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I'm trying to be a voice for the North African Arab community. We've got to continue to fight for our place in the industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-m-trying-to-be-a-voice-for-the-north-african-arab-community-we-ve/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I put in my time, I worked hard and I followed my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-put-in-my-time-i-worked-hard-and-i-followed-my-dreams/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I went through it in high school. It's like, 'Who am I? Am I good enough? Is my background good enough? I know I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-went-through-it-in-high-school-it-s-like-who-am-i-am-i-good-enough/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [There is such a peace out in the middle of the desert. There's nothing like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/there-is-such-a-peace-out-in-the-middle-of-the-desert-there-s-nothing/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [My first professional gig was on a show called 'Nikita,' and I played Al Qaeda No. 2. At that time I had to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/my-first-professional-gig-was-on-a-show-called-nikita-and-i-played-al/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [My parents knew about the story of Aladdin far before the animation film. It's a folk tale that is very prevalent in Egypt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/my-parents-knew-about-the-story-of-aladdin-far-before-the-animation/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [We don't tell Canadian stories enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/we-don-t-tell-canadian-stories-enough/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I grew up in Canada and I was 10 years old when 9/11 happened. And I think that really changed the landscape for Arabs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-grew-up-in-canada-and-i-was-10-years-old-when-9-11-happened-and-i/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [I went to schools that had a significantly large Caucasian population and I feel very fortunate because I was able to compare that perspective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/i-went-to-schools-that-had-a-significantly-large-caucasian-population/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [Ryerson helped me because I was around acting all the time. It was pretty much all I thought about, even if I didn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/ryerson-helped-me-because-i-was-around-acting-all-the-time-it-was/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) > [We immigrated when I was 3 1/2 years old, to Toronto. But I'm still very, very close to my culture and - back home in Egypt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/we-immigrated-when-i-was-3-1-2-years-old-to-toronto-but-i-m-still/) [Mena Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) [Explore all 70 Mena Massoud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/) ## 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 very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mena Massoud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put-numbers-on-it-seems/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put-numbers-on-it-seems/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffc/mena-massoud-9728_art_art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put_15007.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.” — Mena Massoud", "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": "Mena Massoud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mena-massoud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Art is very subjective and having...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put-numbers-on-it-seems/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mena-massoud/art-is-very-subjective-and-having-to-put-numbers-on-it-seems/#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 } } ] } ```