--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History has proven that it's impossible…" description: "\"History has proven that it's impossible to crush the artist. There's always gonna be a need for somebody to write a poem or sing a song about something..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/mos-def-3481_art_history-has-proven-that-it-s-impossible_2056091.jpg" --- # History has proven that it's impossible to crush the… ![“History has proven that it's impossible to crush the artist. There's always gonna be a need for somebody to write a poem or sing a song about something, about life - that makes it real. There's the word that goes beyond the word.” quote by Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/mos-def-3481_art_history-has-proven-that-it-s-impossible_2056091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/mos-def-3481_art_history-has-proven-that-it-s-impossible_2056091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/mos-def-3481_art_history-has-proven-that-it-s-impossible_2056091.jpg) > “History has proven that it's impossible to crush the artist. There's always gonna be a need for somebody to write a poem or sing a song about something, about life - that makes it real. There's the word that goes beyond the word.” [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists cannot be suppressed; their creative expression persists, giving voice to deeper truths beyond language. **In simple terms:** Artists endure; art expresses deeper truth. Key Takeaway Support creative expression. Themes art resilience creativity Mood hopeful defiant Type cultural inspirational When to use this quote - music creation - poetry - visual arts - social commentary Key Concepts cultural impact expressive freedom Questions to Reflect On - What drives artists to keep creating under oppression? - How does art convey what words cannot? A Different Perspective Commercial pressures can stifle art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Crush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crush/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Okay, I should probably mention right here that Brandon used the real word, but this is my story, so I'm cleaning it up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/okay-i-should-probably-mention-right-here-that-brandon-used-the-real/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [How do you spell tanorexic anyway? Tannerexic? Tannorexic? Is this even a real word?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/how-do-you-spell-tanorexic-anyway-tannerexic-tannorexic-is-this-even/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [Normal is such a hard word to use, because everyone's idea of normal is different. Real is what the word is. I think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/normal-is-such-a-hard-word-to-use-because-everyone-s-idea-of-normal/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [If you see something is going wrong within politics and the world today, then some Hip Hop artist is gonna come along and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrika-bambaataa/if-you-see-something-is-going-wrong-within-politics-and-the-world/) [Afrika Bambaataa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrika-bambaataa/) > [I'm definitely a West Coast artist, so much so that I'm gonna get 'Thug Life' tatted on my stomach one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle/i-m-definitely-a-west-coast-artist-so-much-so-that-i-m-gonna-get-thug/) [Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle/) > [I'm not deciding what the artist is going to write about because it's the artist. They're gonna have to sing that song for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-blanco/i-m-not-deciding-what-the-artist-is-going-to-write-about-because-it-s/) [Benny Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-blanco/) > [I'm still an artist. I'm never gonna do a shit movie, because I've got my modeling to support me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milla-jovovich/i-m-still-an-artist-i-m-never-gonna-do-a-shit-movie-because-i-ve-got/) [Milla Jovovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milla-jovovich/) > [Beyonce's the kind of artist where you're not gonna see it till it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/beyonce-s-the-kind-of-artist-where-you-re-not-gonna-see-it-till-it-s/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I think that, right now, I am travelling in many different directions in my mind, on where I wanted to be. So much is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-think-that-right-now-i-am-travelling-in-many-different-directions/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [When I'm dead, somebody can write my biography. I wrote a national hymn, an anthem, which I don't want to present to that country.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-moroder/when-i-m-dead-somebody-can-write-my-biography-i-wrote-a-national-hymn/) [Giorgio Moroder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-moroder/) > [Find the story you want to tell. If you don't want to write it, find somebody to write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-bening/find-the-story-you-want-to-tell-if-you-don-t-want-to-write-it-find/) [Annette Bening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-bening/) > [My story is very long. And for somebody to write a good story, one needs a good writer, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dutee-chand/my-story-is-very-long-and-for-somebody-to-write-a-good-story-one/) [Dutee Chand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dutee-chand/) > [When you cast somebody, you write to their strengths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-stults/when-you-cast-somebody-you-write-to-their-strengths/) [Geoff Stults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-stults/) > [It's very hard to tell somebody how to write when they're so good, and they're a brilliant writer and a really good guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/it-s-very-hard-to-tell-somebody-how-to-write-when-they-re-so-good-and/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [There's still a fascination with somebody who can write at book length, no matter what the book is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/there-s-still-a-fascination-with-somebody-who-can-write-at-book/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More by Mos Def > [I have mad brims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-have-mad-brims/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [But even creeps deserve to live someplace halfway decent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/but-even-creeps-deserve-to-live-someplace-halfway-decent/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [If you're going to do Chuck Berry, you got to, you know, go all out, and the duck walk is just kind of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/if-you-re-going-to-do-chuck-berry-you-got-to-you-know-go-all-out-and/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [The ability to have somebody read something and see it, or for somebody to paint an entire landscape of visual imagery with just sheets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/the-ability-to-have-somebody-read-something-and-see-it-or-for/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm growing as an individual, but your always growing. All of my albums are snapshots of where I am artistically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-growing-as-an-individual-but-your-always-growing-all-of-my-albums/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I don't want to waste anyone's time or money. I want to give people some truth and positive heart lift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-don-t-want-to-waste-anyone-s-time-or-money-i-want-to-give-people/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Man, I smashed her like an Idaho Potato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/man-i-smashed-her-like-an-idaho-potato/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm blacked than midnight on Broadway and Myrtle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-blacked-than-midnight-on-broadway-and-myrtle/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I'm not shy about heated debate or passionate discourse, but when people get crazy or rude, that's a buzz kill. There's got to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-m-not-shy-about-heated-debate-or-passionate-discourse-but-when/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I was taught when there's somethin' you can change around keep quiet, you got nothin' to complain about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-was-taught-when-there-s-somethin-you-can-change-around-keep-quiet/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [I don't hate nobody. I hate certain conditions that are inflicted upon the people - and they're helpless with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/i-don-t-hate-nobody-i-hate-certain-conditions-that-are-inflicted-upon/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [It’s one thing to be the greatest; it’s another thing to be necessary. The best are the most necessary: those who take less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/it-s-one-thing-to-be-the-greatest-it-s-another-thing-to-be-necessary/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [We can be beautiful and feel beautiful about who we are everyday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/we-can-be-beautiful-and-feel-beautiful-about-who-we-are-everyday/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Fame is like getting across the street. It's like, if there's nothing to be across the street for, it's a pointless destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/fame-is-like-getting-across-the-street-it-s-like-if-there-s-nothing/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) [Explore all 129 Mos Def quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) ## 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": "History has proven that it's impossible to crush the artist. 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