--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The language of art is powerful to those…" description: "\"The language of art is powerful to those who understand it, and puzzling to those who do not. What we do know is that here was the modern human mind at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/richard-leakey-14374_abstraction_the-language-of-art-is-powerful-to-those_622672.png" --- # The language of art is powerful to those who understand… ![“The language of art is powerful to those who understand it, and puzzling to those who do not. What we do know is that here was the modern human mind at work, spinning symbolism and abstraction in a way that only Homo sapiens is capable of doing.” quote by Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/richard-leakey-14374_abstraction_the-language-of-art-is-powerful-to-those_622672.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/richard-leakey-14374_abstraction_the-language-of-art-is-powerful-to-those_622672.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/richard-leakey-14374_abstraction_the-language-of-art-is-powerful-to-those_622672.png) > “The language of art is powerful to those who understand it, and puzzling to those who do not. What we do know is that here was the modern human mind at work, spinning symbolism and abstraction in a way that only Homo sapiens is capable of doing.” [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art communicates powerfully to those who grasp it, while baffling others; it reflects uniquely human symbolic thought. **In simple terms:** Art is a uniquely human symbolic language Key Takeaway Study and appreciate art’s symbolism Themes art symbolism human cognition Mood inquisitive educational Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - Museum tours - art education - creative workshops Key Concepts Anthropology cognitive science Questions to Reflect On - How does art shape human identity? - What barriers prevent understanding? A Different Perspective Not everyone accesses art equally; cultural bias may affect interpretation ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstraction/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Human mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-mind/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Puzzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzling/) [Symbolism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symbolism/) ## Related quotes > [Natural selection operates according to immediate cirumstances and not toward a long-term goal. Homo sapiens did eventually evolve as a descendant of the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/natural-selection-operates-according-to-immediate-cirumstances-and/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [Spoken language clearly differentiates Homo sapiens from all other creatures. None but humankind produces a complex spoken language, a medium for communication and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/spoken-language-clearly-differentiates-homo-sapiens-from-all-other/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [I feel that all good art is powerful and simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aulis-sallinen/i-feel-that-all-good-art-is-powerful-and-simple/) Aulis Sallinen > [Thank god we don't know a lot about William Shakespeare or Moses or Homer or Lautréamont. These are the best guys we got, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/thank-god-we-don-t-know-a-lot-about-william-shakespeare-or-moses-or/) [Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/) > [I'm interested in the limits of personality, in the possibility of change, and the saving power of art. Do powerful works of art raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-m-interested-in-the-limits-of-personality-in-the-possibility-of/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [I sincerely want to help create beauty in the world and move a culture of separateness back towards community. I really, really do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-sincerely-want-to-help-create-beauty-in-the-world-and-move-a/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [“Art is magic, and art is powerful. Art saves lives- I really believe that. It gives us courage and compassion we might not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-cross/art-is-magic-and-art-is-powerful-art-saves-lives-i-really-believe/) [Sarah Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-cross/) > [It's amazing how such a small piece of art can be such a powerful thing for people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-polunin/it-s-amazing-how-such-a-small-piece-of-art-can-be-such-a-powerful/) [Sergei Polunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-polunin/) > [Art does not imitate life. Art is much more powerful than that. Art brings life back. And it does it by exposing the secrets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-bernardo/art-does-not-imitate-life-art-is-much-more-powerful-than-that-art/) [Jose Bernardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-bernardo/) > [What gives me hope is art - it's the most powerful weapons ever created. It's a weapon of mass construction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-psihoyos/what-gives-me-hope-is-art-it-s-the-most-powerful-weapons-ever-created/) [Louie Psihoyos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-psihoyos/) > [The power of art is as powerful as weapons of mass destruction; it's just where war destroys, art inspires. But in order to inspire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/the-power-of-art-is-as-powerful-as-weapons-of-mass-destruction-it-s/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [Maybe we didn't even have a chance. The message of American Pop Art was so powerful and so optimistic. But it was also very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/maybe-we-didn-t-even-have-a-chance-the-message-of-american-pop-art/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [I endeavor to trigger positive, empowering, life-giving emotion - I believe art is that powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-holland/i-endeavor-to-trigger-positive-empowering-life-giving-emotion-i/) [Gary Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-holland/) > [Thank God we don't know a lot about Shakespeare or Moses or Homer or Lautreamont. These are the best guys we got, and their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-mccombs/thank-god-we-don-t-know-a-lot-about-shakespeare-or-moses-or-homer-or/) [Cass McCombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-mccombs/) > [I will say that a lot of art, some of the best art, has very powerful and meaningful messages behind it, and the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-jacobson/i-will-say-that-a-lot-of-art-some-of-the-best-art-has-very-powerful/) [Abbi Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-jacobson/) ## More by Richard Leakey > [I would hazard a guess that we have found fossilized human remains of at least a thousand different specimens in South and East Africa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-would-hazard-a-guess-that-we-have-found-fossilized-human-remains-of/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [It has taken biologists some 230 years to identify and describe three quarters of a million insects; if there are indeed at least thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/it-has-taken-biologists-some-230-years-to-identify-and-describe-three/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the-fieldwork-myself-so-much/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [Elephants can live to an age of up to 70 or 80 years and they have a good memory. It could be they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/elephants-can-live-to-an-age-of-up-to-70-or-80-years-and-they-have-a/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [Along the borders to Ethiopia and Somalia, anarchy reigns, the police and military have retreated quite some distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/along-the-borders-to-ethiopia-and-somalia-anarchy-reigns-the-police/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [To me it's a question of being able to look backward and give the present a root... To give meaning to where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/to-me-it-s-a-question-of-being-able-to-look-backward-and-give-the/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [I, too, am convinced that our ancestors came from Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-too-am-convinced-that-our-ancestors-came-from-africa/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [I have been raised to believe in freedom of thought and speech. If a minority wishes to accept that position it's their right. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-have-been-raised-to-believe-in-freedom-of-thought-and-speech-if-a/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [One should not forget that there are very few surviving items from this period, often just single, small bones, a tooth, a sliver of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/one-should-not-forget-that-there-are-very-few-surviving-items-from/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [For fossils to thrive, certain favorable circumstances are required. First of all, of course, remnants of life have to be there. These then need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/for-fossils-to-thrive-certain-favorable-circumstances-are-required/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [We are bipedal apes, and it should not be surprising to see that fact reflected in the way our ancestors lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/we-are-bipedal-apes-and-it-should-not-be-surprising-to-see-that-fact/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [The land is not in the least bit fertile and yet the cattle herds grow larger and larger. A cow represents capital investment here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/the-land-is-not-in-the-least-bit-fertile-and-yet-the-cattle-herds/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [The world's five thousand extant languages are products of our shared ability, but the five thousand cultures they create are separate from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/the-world-s-five-thousand-extant-languages-are-products-of-our-shared/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [We hope to find more pieces of the puzzle which will shed light on the connection between this upright, walking ape, our early ancestor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/we-hope-to-find-more-pieces-of-the-puzzle-which-will-shed-light-on/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [I can't think of any other region in the world which is such a vast source of fossils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-can-t-think-of-any-other-region-in-the-world-which-is-such-a-vast/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) [Explore all 47 Richard Leakey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) ## More Abstraction quotes > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [The premises from which we begin are not arbitrary ones, not dogmas, but real premises from which abstraction can only be made in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-premises-from-which-we-begin-are-not-arbitrary-ones-not-dogmas/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Two elements are needed to form a truth - a fact and an abstraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/remy-de-gourmont/two-elements-are-needed-to-form-a-truth-a-fact-and-an-abstraction/) [Remy de Gourmont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/remy-de-gourmont/) > [But we must not underestimate the potency of the mathematical process of abstraction. A surprising variety of things happen to have both magnitude and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banesh-hoffmann/but-we-must-not-underestimate-the-potency-of-the-mathematical-process/) Banesh Hoffmann > [Sometimes I start in a very realistic fashion, and as I go on from one painting to another of the same kind, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/sometimes-i-start-in-a-very-realistic-fashion-and-as-i-go-on-from-one/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I like residing in abstraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/i-like-residing-in-abstraction/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Cancer begins and ends with people. In the midst of scientific abstraction, it is sometimes possible to forget this one basic fact. Doctors treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-goodfield/cancer-begins-and-ends-with-people-in-the-midst-of-scientific/) [June Goodfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-goodfield/) > [Yes, there was an element of abstraction and unreality in misfortune. But when an abstraction starts to kill you, you have to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/yes-there-was-an-element-of-abstraction-and-unreality-in-misfortune/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Computer Science is a science of abstraction -creating the right model for a problem and devising the appropriate mechanizable techniques to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-aho/computer-science-is-a-science-of-abstraction-creating-the-right-model/) Alfred Aho > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Don't get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It's an abstraction. Not unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-get-stuck-on-the-level-of-words-a-word-is-no-more-than-a-means/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Holidays are in no sense an alternative to the congestion and bustle of the cities and work. Quite the contrary. People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [ I'd say that \[Louis\] Brandeis practiced a kind of a "living originalism," to use the title of Jack Balkin's great book. 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