--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some of the best art occurs when people…" description: "\"Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed. That's just what we do as a species when something shakes us up.\" — Pharrell Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg" --- # Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed… ![“Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed. That's just what we do as a species when something shakes us up.” quote by Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg) > “Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed. That's just what we do as a species when something shakes us up.” [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Oppression can spark profound artistic expression as it forces reflection and creativity. **In simple terms:** Hardship can inspire powerful art. Key Takeaway Channel struggle into creative work. Themes art oppression creativity human nature resilience Mood thoughtful hopeful Type cultural philosophical When to use this quote - political protest - personal trauma - social movements - cultural shifts - mental health therapy Key Concepts sociology psychology expressive arts Questions to Reflect On - How does oppression shape your creative process? - Can art without oppression be equally impactful? A Different Perspective Art may also glorify oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [No word meaning "art" occurs in Aivilik, nor does "artist": there are only people. Nor is any distinction made between utilitarian and decorative objects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-snow-carpenter/no-word-meaning-art-occurs-in-aivilik-nor-does-artist-there-are-only/) [Edmund Snow Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-snow-carpenter/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [“Human rights are being violated on every continent. More people are oppressed than free. How can one not be sensitive to their plight? Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/human-rights-are-being-violated-on-every-continent-more-people-are/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Humour is the weapon of unarmed people: it helps people who are oppressed to smile at the situation that pains them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/humour-is-the-weapon-of-unarmed-people-it-helps-people-who-are/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [“I wrote this book for the Nelson Mandela's of our communities who are willing to stand up for change and people who are oppressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahndra-fon-dufe/i-wrote-this-book-for-the-nelson-mandela-s-of-our-communities-who-are/) [Sahndra Fon Dufe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahndra-fon-dufe/) > [“Could people be oppressed in the name of freedom?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/open-university/could-people-be-oppressed-in-the-name-of-freedom/) [Open University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/open-university/) > [Listen, here's reality. It is completely unfair and absolutely necessary that people who have been oppressed and marginalized have to lead everybody. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/listen-here-s-reality-it-is-completely-unfair-and-absolutely/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [I share the concerns around the world about everything from a lack of opportunity to groups of people being oppressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hayes/i-share-the-concerns-around-the-world-about-everything-from-a-lack-of/) [Emma Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hayes/) > [In 'The Hunger Games,' in most people's idea, in terms of rebellion or a civil-war situation, that would meet the criteria for a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/in-the-hunger-games-in-most-people-s-idea-in-terms-of-rebellion-or-a/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I get a lot from people who are in oppressed situations and say they were gonna give up. A lot of people have reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rain-dove/i-get-a-lot-from-people-who-are-in-oppressed-situations-and-say-they/) [Rain Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rain-dove/) > [When the sage stands above people, they are not oppressed. When he leads people, they are not obstructed. The world will exalt him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-the-sage-stands-above-people-they-are-not-oppressed-when-he/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I want you to understand that I respect the rights of the poorest and weakest of colored people, oppressed by the slave system, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/i-want-you-to-understand-that-i-respect-the-rights-of-the-poorest-and/) [John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/) > [Disney is our contemporary landscape. The best art will reflect that and challenge you. Disney comforts you, whereas the best art shakes up your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-deitch/disney-is-our-contemporary-landscape-the-best-art-will-reflect-that/) [Jeffrey Deitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-deitch/) > [“It was my conclusion that any people who were oppressed, particularly gay people like myself, could not depend upon others to be our heroes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-d-perry/it-was-my-conclusion-that-any-people-who-were-oppressed-particularly/) Troy D. Perry > [Oxfam is part of a global movement for social justice. We mainly work to fight for economic and social rights for people without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-byanyima/oxfam-is-part-of-a-global-movement-for-social-justice-we-mainly-work/) [Winnie Byanyima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-byanyima/) ## More by Pharrell Williams > [Happiness is not about the trophy, or the finish line. It's the journey. If you enjoy your journey, you can enjoy your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/happiness-is-not-about-the-trophy-or-the-finish-line-it-s-the-journey/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [“If you kiss her mind, her body will follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/if-you-kiss-her-mind-her-body-will-follow/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [Tokyo is like the New York of Asia. Although the people there are all basically from Japan, they celebrate what they like about various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/tokyo-is-like-the-new-york-of-asia-although-the-people-there-are-all/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [Stay loyal to your creativity because it's a gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/stay-loyal-to-your-creativity-because-it-s-a-gift/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/clap-along-if-you-feel-like-that-s-what-you-wanna-do/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [Music is what I love to do. Music, fashion, a couple of chairs, I'm cool, I'm grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/music-is-what-i-love-to-do-music-fashion-a-couple-of-chairs-i-m-cool/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > ["Happy" feels good... I just like when stuff feels good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/happy-feels-good-i-just-like-when-stuff-feels-good/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [A lot of my creative projects are inspired and driven by technology and style. My mission is to recycle as much plastic possible in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/a-lot-of-my-creative-projects-are-inspired-and-driven-by-technology/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [As a kid, I always had a super vivid imagination, like "Man, I like those shoes, but they should've made them in purple" or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/as-a-kid-i-always-had-a-super-vivid-imagination-like-man-i-like-those/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [So many people just have that innate thing that allows them to express themselves in a way the majority can follow. That's when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/so-many-people-just-have-that-innate-thing-that-allows-them-to/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [Nothing's difficult. I'm having a good time. I look at this as a total blessing, you know, and as myself being fortunate to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/nothing-s-difficult-i-m-having-a-good-time-i-look-at-this-as-a-total/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [For every individual who gets killed, someone should build a school or teach a child. We really need to balance things with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/for-every-individual-who-gets-killed-someone-should-build-a-school-or/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [That's what music should be like all the time. No stress, moving things forward, inspiring the youth, and doing it with style and vigor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/that-s-what-music-should-be-like-all-the-time-no-stress-moving-things/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [I love playing. The keyboard is my journal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/i-love-playing-the-keyboard-is-my-journal/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) > [I love everything that Frank Gehry does. I wish I could have that man build me a Wayne Manor-style mansion, like his idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/i-love-everything-that-frank-gehry-does-i-wish-i-could-have-that-man/) [Pharrell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) [Explore all 173 Pharrell Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/) ## 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": "Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed. That's just what we do as a species when something shakes us up.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pharrell Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people-are-oppressed-that-s-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people-are-oppressed-that-s-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e8/pharrell-williams-2306_art_some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people_1151922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Some of the best art occurs when people are oppressed. That's just what we do as a species when something…” — Pharrell Williams", "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": "Pharrell Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharrell-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Some of the best art occurs...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people-are-oppressed-that-s-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharrell-williams/some-of-the-best-art-occurs-when-people-are-oppressed-that-s-just/#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 } } ] } ```