--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We consume our art like moths. We gather…" description: "\"“We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily, around wherever the biggest, brightest light seems to be. So these days, the most successful ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/michael-gungor-15350_art_we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather_1749163.jpg" --- # We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily… ![“We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily, around wherever the biggest, brightest light seems to be. So these days, the most successful art is the art that can elicit the quickest visceral reaction from the largest group of people.” quote by Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/michael-gungor-15350_art_we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather_1749163.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/michael-gungor-15350_art_we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather_1749163.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/michael-gungor-15350_art_we-consume-our-art-like-moths-we-gather_1749163.jpg) > ““We consume our art like moths. We gather, momentarily, around wherever the biggest, brightest light seems to be. So these days, the most successful art is the art that can elicit the quickest visceral reaction from the largest group of people.”” [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art draws crowds like moths to bright light, favoring instant, visceral impact over depth. **In simple terms:** People flock to art that gives quick, strong feelings. Key Takeaway Create work that resonates deeply, not just instantly. Themes art consumption media trends psychology Mood critical contemplative Type analysis philosophical When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - viral content - public installations Key Concepts attention economy visual impact Questions to Reflect On - What lasting value can art provide? - How to balance immediacy with substance? A Different Perspective Depth can be sacrificed for fleeting popularity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ## Related quotes > [Good art should elicit a response of 'Huh? Wow!' as opposed to ‘Wow! Huh?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/good-art-should-elicit-a-response-of-huh-wow-as-opposed-to-wow-huh/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Years later, I figured out why he (Ivan Karp) was such a successful art dealer-this may sound strange, but I believe it was because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/years-later-i-figured-out-why-he-ivan-karp-was-such-a-successful-art/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [“It's of some interest that the lively arts of the millennial U.S.A. treat anhedonia and internal emptiness as hip and cool. It's maybe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/it-s-of-some-interest-that-the-lively-arts-of-the-millennial-u-s-a-3/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Art is consumed in so many different ways. You could say people don't stop to appreciate art. On the other hand, people can consume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sollee/art-is-consumed-in-so-many-different-ways-you-could-say-people-don-t/) [Ben Sollee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sollee/) > [Art is consumed in so many different ways. You could say people don't stop to appreciate art. On the other hand, people can consume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-sollee/art-is-consumed-in-so-many-different-ways-you-could-say-people-don-t-2/) [Ben Sollee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-sollee/) > [If you want to be successful in the art world you've got to look to the art world; you don't make it for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/if-you-want-to-be-successful-in-the-art-world-you-ve-got-to-look-to/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [The secret of a successful art career is to make more art that folks think they need than pieces they just want. When a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/the-secret-of-a-successful-art-career-is-to-make-more-art-that-folks/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [Part of the triumph of modernist poetry is, indeed, to have demonstrated the great extent to which verse can do without explicit meaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-greenberg/part-of-the-triumph-of-modernist-poetry-is-indeed-to-have/) [Clement Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-greenberg/) > [A simple equation for the production of successful art work is lots of reference material plus lots of art supplies equals lots of painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/a-simple-equation-for-the-production-of-successful-art-work-is-lots/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [I never thought, "I'm going to be an artist". When I actually began to become successful in the art world I made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/i-never-thought-i-m-going-to-be-an-artist-when-i-actually-began-to/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [There are forms of art that I might not like to do myself, but I still have respect for the artists who create it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-paradis/there-are-forms-of-art-that-i-might-not-like-to-do-myself-but-i-still/) [Vanessa Paradis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-paradis/) > [As I create art, it is like a love affair. My days go by loving what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-max/as-i-create-art-it-is-like-a-love-affair-my-days-go-by-loving-what-i/) [Peter Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-max/) > [Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/treat-a-work-of-art-like-a-prince-let-it-speak-to-you-first/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Art, like Nature, has her monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/art-like-nature-has-her-monsters/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't have a favorite place to see art. I like to encounter it anywhere, museum, gallery, home, studio, street... I do prefer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nares/i-don-t-have-a-favorite-place-to-see-art-i-like-to-encounter-it/) [James Nares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nares/) ## More by Michael Gungor > [I used to flirt with fundamentalism, and I had this idea that creation was something that happened. Now I see creation as something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-used-to-flirt-with-fundamentalism-and-i-had-this-idea-that-creation/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [The more successful the work, the more people will step in to try to influence and manipulate the work for their own benefit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-more-successful-the-work-the-more-people-will-step-in-to-try-to/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [We are all creators. Whether or not we create is not up to us. We are human, and creating is what we do. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/we-are-all-creators-whether-or-not-we-create-is-not-up-to-us-we-are/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [I'm not one to call out an individual and say "I don't think that is honest." Who am I to know what is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-m-not-one-to-call-out-an-individual-and-say-i-don-t-think-that-is/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [“To truly see is to find hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-truly-see-is-to-find-hope/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Any religious, philosophical or political idea that doesn't lead one towards love ought to be forsaken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/any-religious-philosophical-or-political-idea-that-doesn-t-lead-one/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [I think I'm just trying to be myself and write songs that are honest. That's what I hear in artist's that I like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-think-i-m-just-trying-to-be-myself-and-write-songs-that-are-honest/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [“Entitlement is not a friend of art. Work is. Pain is. Pain is that blessed and despised universal experience that creates more true art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/entitlement-is-not-a-friend-of-art-work-is-pain-is-pain-is-that/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Burnout is what happens when you try to avoid being human for too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/burnout-is-what-happens-when-you-try-to-avoid-being-human-for-too-long/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Creativity is simply the human brain forming new connections between ideas, and we all are engaged in this process every day. The common idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/creativity-is-simply-the-human-brain-forming-new-connections-between/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [To me, God is the basic Reality of the universe. God is what is. That's how Moses wrote that God introduced Himself, isn't it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-me-god-is-the-basic-reality-of-the-universe-god-is-what-is-that-s/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [Money is not the root of all kinds of evil. The love of money is. It’s also the root of a lot of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/money-is-not-the-root-of-all-kinds-of-evil-the-love-of-money-is-it-s/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [I've found that limitations can be an artist's best friend sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/i-ve-found-that-limitations-can-be-an-artist-s-best-friend-sometimes/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [The danger of art created to rise above the noise is that it may end up being noise itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/the-danger-of-art-created-to-rise-above-the-noise-is-that-it-may-end/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) > [To me genres were always an imaginary things, they're just marketing channels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gungor/to-me-genres-were-always-an-imaginary-things-they-re-just-marketing/) [Michael Gungor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) [Explore all 43 Michael Gungor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gungor/) ## 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": "“We consume our art like moths. 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