--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The lives great artists live and the…" description: "\"The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.\" — Michael Cunningham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/michael-cunningham-1120_art_the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-boo_43582.png" --- # The lives great artists live and the books they write are… ![“The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/michael-cunningham-1120_art_the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-boo_43582.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/michael-cunningham-1120_art_the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-boo_43582.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/michael-cunningham-1120_art_the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-boo_43582.png) > “The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.” [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. The quote highlights the distinction between an artist's personal existence and the creative output they produce, suggesting that the two are not interchangeable. **In simple terms:** Artists' lives differ from their work. Key Takeaway Life and art are separate realms. Themes Identity Creativity Perception Artistic Process Self vs. Output Mood Reflective Introspective Type Observation Philosophical When to use this quote - Analyzing an artist's biography - Discussing literary criticism - Teaching creative writing Key Concepts Artistic Identity Creative Expression Practical Applications - Understanding authorial intent - Evaluating artistic authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How does an artist's personal experience shape their creations? - Can we truly separate the creator from the creation? A Different Perspective One could argue that an artist's life inevitably informs their work, making the separation artificial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Great art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-art/) [Great artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artist/) [Great Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-artists/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I have to live my books before I write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/i-have-to-live-my-books-before-i-write-them/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [It's much more entertaining to live books than to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-s-much-more-entertaining-to-live-books-than-to-write-them/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [The biographies of great artists make it abundantly clear that the creative urge is often so imperious that it battens on their humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-biographies-of-great-artists-make-it-abundantly-clear-that-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I cannot avoid condemning all those who, from self-conceit have the pretension to imitate great artists of the past. If their powers of emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/i-cannot-avoid-condemning-all-those-who-from-self-conceit-have-the/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [Each film has its processes. It doesn't mean that all animated films have to be like "Boy and the World," but creators have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-abreu/each-film-has-its-processes-it-doesn-t-mean-that-all-animated-films/) [Alex Abreu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-abreu/) > [I'm doing what great artists before me did, like Judy Garland, Sammy Davis, Eddie Cantor. 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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/) > [“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. 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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/) > [“You know what I am?" he says. "What?" "I'm an ordinary person." "Come on." "I know. 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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. 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