--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...music is sometimes the only benign…" description: "\"...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.\" — Paul Simon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png" --- # ...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of… ![“...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.” quote by Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png) > “...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.” [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Communication can be a peaceful bridge even between enemies. **In simple terms:** Peaceful communication bridges enemies. Key Takeaway Seek common ground. Themes communication conflict peace Mood hopeful reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political negotiations - family disputes - workplace rivalry - international diplomacy Key Concepts psychology dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How can you create a neutral space for dialogue? - What shared interests can you highlight? A Different Perspective May not resolve deep issues alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aesthetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) [Antagonist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonist/) [Antagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antagonists/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Avenues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avenues/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Benign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benign/) [Benign Avenue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benign-avenue-6093333/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Communication Antagonists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication-antagonists-6093332/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Benign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-benign-6093331/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [What’s this? What are the antagonists doing here – infiltrating their own audience? Well, they’re not really. It’s somebody else’s audience at the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/what-s-this-what-are-the-antagonists-doing-here-infiltrating-their/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [We are the 1000 children of death. We're in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonists. I'm in-between, on the fence. Non-descript antagonist!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otep/we-are-the-1000-children-of-death-we-re-in-between-on-the-fence-non/) [Otep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otep/) > [All roads lead to Rome, but our antagonists think we should choose different paths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-fontaine/all-roads-lead-to-rome-but-our-antagonists-think-we-should-choose/) [Jean de La Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-fontaine/) > [ \[Elizabeth Moon's\] antagonists are always evil moustache-twirlers. She could write a book about a golf open and the main rival to the hero would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nicoll/elizabeth-moon-s-antagonists-are-always-evil-moustache-twirlers-she/) [James Nicoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nicoll/) > [“In general, the best antagonists in fiction represent the protagonist’s Shadow. By confronting and ultimately defeating the antagonist, the hero reintegrates these disparate aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-raywood/in-general-the-best-antagonists-in-fiction-represent-the-protagonist/) [Will Raywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-raywood/) > [I am bound to furnish my antagonists with arguments, but not with comprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-am-bound-to-furnish-my-antagonists-with-arguments-but-not-with/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those--in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/try-not-to-pay-attention-to-those-who-will-try-to-make-life-miserable-2/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“I read the story of Red Riding Hood today. I think the wolf was the most interesting character in it. Red Riding Hood was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/i-read-the-story-of-red-riding-hood-today-i-think-the-wolf-was-the/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [Antagonists are always creatives efforts. They get extra attention be it in their costumes to their screen time. I actually enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amrapali-gupta/antagonists-are-always-creatives-efforts-they-get-extra-attention-be/) [Amrapali Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amrapali-gupta/) > [We want our villains and antagonists to have distinct motivations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-konietzko/we-want-our-villains-and-antagonists-to-have-distinct-motivations/) [Bryan Konietzko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-konietzko/) > [“The number of your antagonists are far more greater than that of your companions, so you have to keep a stone of awareness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-number-of-your-antagonists-are-far-more-greater-than-that-of-your/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Pardon me for budging into concoction of the aristocrats blowing their trumpets, the demagogues' doctrines, the antagonists' squeals, the hypocrites' assertions, the sycophants fawning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-kwatra/pardon-me-for-budging-into-concoction-of-the-aristocrats-blowing/) [Mukesh Kwatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-kwatra/) > [What distinguished the First World War from all wars before it was the massive power of the antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-keating/what-distinguished-the-first-world-war-from-all-wars-before-it-was/) [Paul Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-keating/) > [Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/self-love-is-the-sole-antagonist-of-virtue-leading-us-constantly-by/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For me, in any story that I take, the antagonist is more interesting and multi-dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vetrimaaran/for-me-in-any-story-that-i-take-the-antagonist-is-more-interesting/) [Vetrimaaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vetrimaaran/) ## More by Paul Simon > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Medicine is magical and magical is art, the boy in the bubble, and the baby with the baboon heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/medicine-is-magical-and-magical-is-art-the-boy-in-the-bubble-and-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/two-times-two-is-twenty-two-four-times-four-is-forty-four-when/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [...what threatens us today in the world of computers and other invasions of privacy is not a national ID card but a number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/what-threatens-us-today-in-the-world-of-computers-and-other-invasions/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Life I love you, all is groovy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/life-i-love-you-all-is-groovy/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I would be willing to do almost anything to make Art happy. I care about our friendship. The only thing I won't do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-would-be-willing-to-do-almost-anything-to-make-art-happy-i-care/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I don't very often think I've done a good job. I don't like the majority of what I do. I shouldn't say I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-don-t-very-often-think-i-ve-done-a-good-job-i-don-t-like-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I rate each album as better than the last one. That's how I see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-rate-each-album-as-better-than-the-last-one-that-s-how-i-see-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [ I don't think \[Dylan and the Beatles\] influenced me a lot. I think it was inevitable; they were so powerful that you couldn't really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-don-t-think-dylan-and-the-beatles-influenced-me-a-lot-i-think-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenements halls and whispered in the sounds of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/the-words-of-the-prophets-are-written-on-the-subway-walls-and/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I'm not in it for the money. I like music. I love to write music. I can't imagine myself not playing or singing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-m-not-in-it-for-the-money-i-like-music-i-love-to-write-music-i-can/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [No one dare disturb the sound of silence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/no-one-dare-disturb-the-sound-of-silence/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-fundamental-requirement-overriding-any-other-for-this-job-is-an/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) [Explore all 214 Paul Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## More Aesthetic quotes > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [I don't think I was ever thinking critically about my aesthetic, I think it's enough when you're little just to understand that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/i-don-t-think-i-was-ever-thinking-critically-about-my-aesthetic-i/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [I'm kind of still down with Virg Woolf on this one: "women must kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have been 'killed'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/i-m-kind-of-still-down-with-virg-woolf-on-this-one-women-must-kill/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in trying to imagine the unimaginable and failing, if you are a reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/there-is-a-certain-aesthetic-pleasure-in-trying-to-imagine-the/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [I try to get the hip-hop aesthetic, most times without an MC. I don't use a rapper or a DJ to give it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-glasper/i-try-to-get-the-hip-hop-aesthetic-most-times-without-an-mc-i-don-t/) [Robert Glasper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-glasper/) > [It's so important what you're doing in your life. It's tremendously important to the work, and no aesthetic theories take that into account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maus/it-s-so-important-what-you-re-doing-in-your-life-it-s-tremendously/) [John Maus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maus/) > [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [In reality no food is valued solely for its nutritive power and no garment or house solely for the protection it affords against cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/in-reality-no-food-is-valued-solely-for-its-nutritive-power-and-no/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful. Here the aesthetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/art-is-realistic-when-it-strives-to-express-an-ethical-ideal-realism/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [I had always wanted to expand to beauty, but I knew I wanted to be able to translate my design aesthetic in an authentic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ronson/i-had-always-wanted-to-expand-to-beauty-but-i-knew-i-wanted-to-be/) [Charlotte Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-ronson/) > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular 'ism', but a gathering together of writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-metcalf/i-wanted-the-press-to-become-something-of-a-movement-not-a-movement/) [John Metcalf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-metcalf/) [Browse all 953 Aesthetic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Simon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenue-of-communication-between/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aesthetic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenue-of-communication-between/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/278/paul-simon-1703_aesthetic_music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenu_3227671.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...music is sometimes the only benign avenue of communication between antagonists.” — Paul Simon", "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": "Paul Simon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...music is sometimes the only benign...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenue-of-communication-between/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/music-is-sometimes-the-only-benign-avenue-of-communication-between/#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 } } ] } ```