--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The learned understand the reason of art…" description: "\"The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.\" — Quintilian" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg" --- # The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned… ![“The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.” quote by Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg) > “The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.” [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art can be intellectually grasped by the educated, while its enjoyment is accessible to all regardless of training. **In simple terms:** Understanding art needs learning; feeling art needs no training. Key Takeaway Value both analysis and intuition. Themes art education pleasure perception Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - museum visits - art classes - personal reflection - creative projects Key Concepts aesthetics cognition empathy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance study and feeling in art? - Can you appreciate art without formal training? A Different Perspective Intellectual analysis may miss emotional impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ## Related quotes > [The reason the art world doesn't respond to Kinkade is because none - not one - of his ideas about subject-matter, surface, color, composition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-reason-the-art-world-doesn-t-respond-to-kinkade-is-because-none/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Here's the truth you have to wrestle with: the reason that art (writing, engaging, leading, all of it) is valuable is precisely why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/here-s-the-truth-you-have-to-wrestle-with-the-reason-that-art-writing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [What has reason to do with the art of painting?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/what-has-reason-to-do-with-the-art-of-painting/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The reason we do our art is to connect with people and talk about our journey, all those things get amplified when you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snow-tha-product/the-reason-we-do-our-art-is-to-connect-with-people-and-talk-about-our/) [Snow Tha Product](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snow-tha-product/) > [The reason that art (writing, engaging, and all of it) is valuable is precisely why I cant tell you how to do it. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhatsprincess/the-reason-that-art-writing-engaging-and-all-of-it-is-valuable-is/) ZhatsPrincess > [There is no Art made without power, and there is no reason for Art to be made except for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-d-schmidt/there-is-no-art-made-without-power-and-there-is-no-reason-for-art-to/) [Gary D. Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-d-schmidt/) > [I learned to read but not to comprehend, and that might well have stood me in good stead, because what's there to understand, really?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-lutz/i-learned-to-read-but-not-to-comprehend-and-that-might-well-have/) [Gary Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-lutz/) > [I've learned more, and I understand the process a bit better now. I can try to see how long I want to take in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-ve-learned-more-and-i-understand-the-process-a-bit-better-now-i-can/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [Content is built on communication. You can't learn anything if you haven't learned how to understand language, or to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-hirsh-pasek/content-is-built-on-communication-you-can-t-learn-anything-if-you/) [Kathy Hirsh-Pasek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-hirsh-pasek/) > [I learned to understand the distance a character can be from yourself and how important rehearsal can be to creating a person that feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-saylor/i-learned-to-understand-the-distance-a-character-can-be-from-yourself/) [Morgan Saylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-saylor/) > [To have suffered much is like knowing many languages. Thou hast learned to understand all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/to-have-suffered-much-is-like-knowing-many-languages-thou-hast/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Masters" are those who have simply started to see the difference in what they have learned and are yet to understand ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-b-jones/masters-are-those-who-have-simply-started-to-see-the-difference-in/) [Alan B Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-b-jones/) > [If people learned to understand, they would have no time to assume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/if-people-learned-to-understand-they-would-have-no-time-to-assume/) Enhance Dreams > [Those who have suffered much are like those who know many languages; they have learned to understand and be understood by all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/those-who-have-suffered-much-are-like-those-who-know-many-languages/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [“Each pleasure we feel is a pleasure less; each day a stroke on a calendar. What we will not accept is that the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/each-pleasure-we-feel-is-a-pleasure-less-each-day-a-stroke-on-a/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## More by Quintilian > [“In writing are the roots, in writing are the foundations of eloquence; by writing resources are stored up, as it were, in a sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/in-writing-are-the-roots-in-writing-are-the-foundations-of-eloquence/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Virtue, though she gets her beginning from nature, yet receives her finishing touches from learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/virtue-though-she-gets-her-beginning-from-nature-yet-receives-her/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/vain-hopes-are-like-certain-dreams-of-those-who-wake/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/though-ambition-may-be-a-fault-in-itself-it-is-often-the-mother-of/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/it-is-easier-to-do-many-things-than-to-do-one-thing-continuously-for/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/we-excuse-our-sloth-under-the-pretext-of-difficulty/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/one-thing-however-i-must-premise-that-without-the-assistance-of/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Medicine for the dead is too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/medicine-for-the-dead-is-too-late/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Our minds are like our stomaches; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/our-minds-are-like-our-stomaches-they-are-whetted-by-the-change-of/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/a-laugh-costs-too-much-when-bought-at-the-expense-of-virtue/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [The soul languishing in obscurity contracts a kind of rust, or abandons itself to the chimera of presumption; for it is natural for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-soul-languishing-in-obscurity-contracts-a-kind-of-rust-or/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/he-who-speaks-evil-only-differs-from-his-who-does-evil-in-that-he/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/that-which-offends-the-ear-will-not-easily-gain-admission-to-the-mind/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/in-almost-everything-experience-is-more-valuable-than-precept/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Though ambition itself be a vice, yet it is often times the cause of virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/though-ambition-itself-be-a-vice-yet-it-is-often-times-the-cause-of/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) [Explore all 92 Quintilian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) ## 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": "The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Quintilian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art-the-unlearned-feel-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art-the-unlearned-feel-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/quintilian-7306_art_the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art_2560822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The learned understand the reason of art; the unlearned feel the pleasure.” — Quintilian", "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": "Quintilian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The learned understand the reason of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art-the-unlearned-feel-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-learned-understand-the-reason-of-art-the-unlearned-feel-the/#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 } } ] } ```