--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Arts are a luxury, proof that a…" description: "\"Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'\" — Nell Scovell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg" --- # Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen… ![“Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'” quote by Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg) > “Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'” [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Arts signal a society’s ability to prioritize beauty over survival, indicating cultural maturity beyond conflict. **In simple terms:** Arts show cultural maturity. Key Takeaway Value and protect artistic expression. Themes culture civilization art peace politics Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - urban planning - policy making - community building Key Concepts humanism aesthetic development social progress Questions to Reflect On - How can societies make art inclusive? - What does art reveal about power structures? A Different Perspective Arts may be inaccessible to marginalized groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics and war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-and-war/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The arts are not a luxury. They are an integral part of our lives as individuals and as a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-arts-are-not-a-luxury-they-are-an-integral-part-of-our-lives-as/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If civilization has risen from the Stone Age, it can rise again from the Wastepaper Age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/if-civilization-has-risen-from-the-stone-age-it-can-rise-again-from/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [One of the most important factors in life, politics and war, to which historians tend to devote too little attention, is sheer luck, good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rhodes-james/one-of-the-most-important-factors-in-life-politics-and-war-to-which/) Robert Rhodes James > [“I must study politics and war," wrote John Adams, "that my sons may have the liberty to study mathematics, and philosophy, geography, natural history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammertha/i-must-study-politics-and-war-wrote-john-adams-that-my-sons-may-have/) Charles Krauthammertha > [The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders...tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/the-people-can-always-be-brought-to-the-bidding-of-the-leaders-tell/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/this-world-in-arms-is-not-spending-money-alone-it-is-spending-the/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [Naturally the common people don't want war. . . but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine policy, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/naturally-the-common-people-don-t-want-war-but-after-all-it-is-the-2/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [Naturally, the common people don't want war ... but after all it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-goring/naturally-the-common-people-don-t-want-war-but-after-all-it-is-the/) [Hermann Goring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-goring/) > [I have to study politics and war so that my sons can study mathematics, commerce and agriculture, so their sons can study poetry, painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-have-to-study-politics-and-war-so-that-my-sons-can-study/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [Today the real test of power is not capacity to make war but capacity to prevent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-o-hare-mccormick/today-the-real-test-of-power-is-not-capacity-to-make-war-but-capacity/) [Anne O'Hare McCormick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-o-hare-mccormick/) > [Sepultura had a political album like Chaos A.D. that concerned itself with politics and war. I continued that in some areas with Soulfly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cavalera/sepultura-had-a-political-album-like-chaos-a-d-that-concerned-itself/) [Max Cavalera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cavalera/) > [“Politics and war were just different names for power, and the price of power was predictably high and could be precisely measured-in dollards,yen,euros,rubles,riyals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-janzen/politics-and-war-were-just-different-names-for-power-and-the-price-of/) [Tara Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-janzen/) > [“Deception, you see, lies at the heart of business, politics and war. Even pleasure, wouldn’t you say? Everyone practises it, from the President of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wreford/deception-you-see-lies-at-the-heart-of-business-politics-and-war-even/) Michael Wreford > [I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-must-study-politics-and-war-that-my-sons-may-have-liberty-to-study/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or who says it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/wrong-is-wrong-no-matter-who-does-it-or-who-says-it/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) ## More by Nell Scovell > [The desire to keep doing what we love supersedes the desire to penalize bad behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/the-desire-to-keep-doing-what-we-love-supersedes-the-desire-to/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [Blondness is a core Trump-family value: Both Donald Jr. and Eric got the memo and married blondes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/blondness-is-a-core-trump-family-value-both-donald-jr-and-eric-got/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [I realize that 'hire qualified women!' is the sort of outraged demand that's often met with a sigh. No one disagrees, and yet gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-realize-that-hire-qualified-women-is-the-sort-of-outraged-demand/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [We have so many great memoirs from women in front of the camera, from Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Amy Poehler, and Amy Schumer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/we-have-so-many-great-memoirs-from-women-in-front-of-the-camera-from/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [My criticisms of late-night TV blew up some old friendships and sparked some new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/my-criticisms-of-late-night-tv-blew-up-some-old-friendships-and/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [The Pulitzer Prize was established when Joseph Pulitzer died in 1911, leaving a bequest to create the eponymous award. An immigrant from Hungary, Pulitzer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/the-pulitzer-prize-was-established-when-joseph-pulitzer-died-in-1911/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [If I were to write a sequel to 'Lean In' for men, I would call it 'Make Room.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/if-i-were-to-write-a-sequel-to-lean-in-for-men-i-would-call-it-make/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [I traveled to Israel in a small party assembled by Marty Peretz, the editor-in-chief of 'The New Republic.' Other guests included Senator Al Gore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/i-traveled-to-israel-in-a-small-party-assembled-by-marty-peretz-the/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [For thirty years, I've been hearing that it's getting better for women. And until I see statistical proof over enough years that that's true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/for-thirty-years-i-ve-been-hearing-that-it-s-getting-better-for-women/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [The vocabulary of my cynical world doesn't allow me to explain the success of 'Lean In.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/the-vocabulary-of-my-cynical-world-doesn-t-allow-me-to-explain-the/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [If necessity is the mother of invention, urgency is the uncle of change. Without it, progress slows and then stops and then reverses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/if-necessity-is-the-mother-of-invention-urgency-is-the-uncle-of/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [In TV, you look to make characters consistent, but in real life, we're not consistent. Sometimes we're brave, and sometimes we're not. Sometimes we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/in-tv-you-look-to-make-characters-consistent-but-in-real-life-we-re/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [Misogyny - and racism - are 'hidden in plain sight,' and the burden of eliminating them should fall on the institutions, not the victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/misogyny-and-racism-are-hidden-in-plain-sight-and-the-burden-of/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [In Hollywood, you kind of trick yourself into feeling like you have impact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/in-hollywood-you-kind-of-trick-yourself-into-feeling-like-you-have/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) > [Trump Tower is no ordinary property: It is the jewel in Donald Trump's brass crown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/trump-tower-is-no-ordinary-property-it-is-the-jewel-in-donald-trump-s/) [Nell Scovell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) [Explore all 97 Nell Scovell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/) ## 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": "Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nell Scovell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilization-has-risen-above-politics/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilization-has-risen-above-politics/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e2/nell-scovell-6875_art_arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilizat_3004382.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Arts are a luxury, proof that a civilization has risen above 'politics and war.'” — Nell Scovell", "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": "Nell Scovell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nell-scovell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Arts are a luxury, proof that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilization-has-risen-above-politics/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nell-scovell/arts-are-a-luxury-proof-that-a-civilization-has-risen-above-politics/#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 } } ] } ```