---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remember, how often the great art of the…"
description: "\"Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look great at first, how often it didn't look like art at all; how much easier it is, decades or c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png"
---

#  Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look…

![“Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look great at first, how often it didn't look like art at all; how much easier it is, decades or centuries later, to adore it, not only because it is, in fact, great but because it's still here; because the inevitable little errors and…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png)

> “Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look great at first, how often it didn't look like art at all; how much easier it is, decades or centuries later, to adore it, not only because it is, in fact, great but because it's still here; because the inevitable little errors and infelicities tend to recede in an object that's survived the War of 1812, the eruption of Krakatoa, the rise and fall of Nazism.”

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great art often isn’t appreciated initially; time and survival reveal its true value despite imperfections.

**In simple terms:** Time validates art despite early criticism.

Key Takeaway

Patience reveals lasting worth.

Themes

art history perception legacy

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- museum curation
- art criticism
- historical study
- public education

Key Concepts

aesthetics cultural memory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does time change your view of art?
- What imperfections do you overlook in lasting works?

A Different Perspective

Early judgments can be biased and shortsighted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adore/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-past-829128/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Centuries Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centuries-later-303975/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Decades Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades-centuries-1357262/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Eruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eruption/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Like Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-art/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Nazism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazism/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Rise and fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rise-and-fall/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“There have been various attempts to reconstruct the vocalization and pronunciation of classical biblical Hebrew, which certainly differs considerably from that established by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-s-enz-badillos/there-have-been-various-attempts-to-reconstruct-the-vocalization-and/)

[Angel Sáenz-Badillos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-s-enz-badillos/)

> [Nobody before the Pythagorean had thought that mathematical relations held the secret of the universe. Twenty-five centuries later, Europe is still blessed and cursed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/nobody-before-the-pythagorean-had-thought-that-mathematical-relations/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [The idea of America endures. Our destiny remains our choice. And tonight, more than two centuries later, it is because of our people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-idea-of-america-endures-our-destiny-remains-our-choice-and/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“I'd like you to ask yourself, Who loses hope first? And who never gives up? Because it's not the supernatural abilities that set mythical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brodi-ashton/i-d-like-you-to-ask-yourself-who-loses-hope-first-and-who-never-gives/)

[Brodi Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brodi-ashton/)

> [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/)

[Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/)

> [Don't let yourself be weighed down by what other people think, because in a few years, in a few decades, or in a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/don-t-let-yourself-be-weighed-down-by-what-other-people-think-because/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [If we look at music history closely, it is not difficult to isolate certain elements of great potency which were to nourish the art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crumb/if-we-look-at-music-history-closely-it-is-not-difficult-to-isolate/)

[George Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crumb/)

> [Almost everything we use daily - from food to clothing to toys - relies on decades- to centuries-old ingredients and production processes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/almost-everything-we-use-daily-from-food-to-clothing-to-toys-relies/)

[Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/)

> [People born in 1994-1999 have lived in three decades, two centuries, and two millenniums. And they are not even 18 yet. We're just that cool...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-bianco/people-born-in-1994-1999-have-lived-in-three-decades-two-centuries/)

[Tanya Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-bianco/)

> [The economy in South Africa was racially structured for many decades, if not centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-zuma/the-economy-in-south-africa-was-racially-structured-for-many-decades/)

[Jacob Zuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-zuma/)

> [Each moment in history is a fleeting time, precious and unique. But some stand out as moments of beginning, in which courses are set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/each-moment-in-history-is-a-fleeting-time-precious-and-unique-but/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [ Decades, if not centuries are normally required for people to acquire the necessary disciplines and habits. In Britain, the road \[to democratic government\] took… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/decades-if-not-centuries-are-normally-required-for-people-to-acquire/)

[Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/)

> [“Today we see the art of the past as nobody saw it before. We actually perceive it in a different way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/today-we-see-the-art-of-the-past-as-nobody-saw-it-before-we-actually/)

[John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/)

> [The internationalization of art becomes a factor contributing to the estrangement of art from the artist. The sum of works of all times and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-rosenberg/the-internationalization-of-art-becomes-a-factor-contributing-to-the/)

[Harold Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-rosenberg/)

> [I'm happy that the evolution of art in the past 25 years, and the place of art in global culture-and even finance-has gotten to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-shafrazi/i-m-happy-that-the-evolution-of-art-in-the-past-25-years-and-the/)

[Tony Shafrazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-shafrazi/)

## More by Michael Cunningham

> [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

[Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

## More Adore quotes

> [I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-copland/i-adore-extravagance-but-i-abhor-waste/)

[Aaron Copland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-copland/)

> [“I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, and my grandchildren, my mother, my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-am-happier-when-i-love-than-when-i-am-loved-i-adore-my-husband-my/)

[Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/)

> [I don't like the word celebrity. If I become a good actress and be in movies where I'm expected to be a good actress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-reilly/i-don-t-like-the-word-celebrity-if-i-become-a-good-actress-and-be-in/)

[Kelly Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-reilly/)

> [“I adore you, my greatest love, as only through you I can find my moment’s eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/i-adore-you-my-greatest-love-as-only-through-you-i-can-find-my-moment/)

[Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/)

> [“A spark of every fire we seek is already within us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/a-spark-of-every-fire-we-seek-is-already-within-us/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [She's all I want and more I mean damn. What's not to adore?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevershoutnever/she-s-all-i-want-and-more-i-mean-damn-what-s-not-to-adore/)

[Nevershoutnever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevershoutnever/)

> [She dotes on poetry, sir. She adores it; I may say that her whole soul and mind are wound up, and entwined with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/she-dotes-on-poetry-sir-she-adores-it-i-may-say-that-her-whole-soul/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I adore Chicago. It is the pulse of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bernhardt/i-adore-chicago-it-is-the-pulse-of-america/)

[Sarah Bernhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bernhardt/)

> [It isn't called TV money for nothing. There was a time where I paid my rent by doing theater for years, and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/it-isn-t-called-tv-money-for-nothing-there-was-a-time-where-i-paid-my/)

[Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/)

> [I'm sorry I can't give you the normal life you wanted, but I promise to adore you every day for the rest of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-m-sorry-i-can-t-give-you-the-normal-life-you-wanted-but-i-promise/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [You could at least complain,” I say. “I adore complaining. It calms the nerves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/you-could-at-least-complain-i-say-i-adore-complaining-it-calms-the/)

[Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/)

> [I'm massively inspired by Janet Jackson, and I adore Whitney Houston and Madonna.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/i-m-massively-inspired-by-janet-jackson-and-i-adore-whitney-houston/)

[Shura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shura/)

> [Emily and I have some funny scenes where we quarrel and it gets quite heated, the mother-daughter relationship. You know, film mothers and daughters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacki-weaver/emily-and-i-have-some-funny-scenes-where-we-quarrel-and-it-gets-quite/)

[Jacki Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacki-weaver/)

> [I love what I do and I adore this whole world. I'm able to meet fantastic people. I meet fantastic writers, I meet architects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-ghesquiere/i-love-what-i-do-and-i-adore-this-whole-world-i-m-able-to-meet/)

[Nicolas Ghesquiere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-ghesquiere/)

[Browse all 749 Adore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adore/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look great at first, how often it didn't look like art at all; how much easier it is, decades or centuries later, to adore it, not only because it is, in fact, great but because it's still here; because the inevitable little errors and infelicities tend to recede in an object that's survived the War of 1812, the eruption of Krakatoa, the rise and fall of Nazism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Cunningham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the-past-didn-t-look-great-at/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adore"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the-past-didn-t-look-great-at/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f33/michael-cunningham-1120_adore_remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the_1269744.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Remember, how often the great art of the past didn't look great at first, how often it didn't look like art…” — Michael Cunningham",
                "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": "Michael Cunningham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Remember, how often the great art...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the-past-didn-t-look-great-at/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/remember-how-often-the-great-art-of-the-past-didn-t-look-great-at/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
