--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In these times there is a powerful…" description: "\"“In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the surface and the deep currents of human development. Events and upheavals, which seem more p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/robert-henri-1803_artist_in-these-times-there-is-a-powerful-demar_1501033.jpg" --- # In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the… ![“In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the surface and the deep currents of human development. Events and upheavals, which seem more profound than they really are, are happening on the surface. But there is another and deeper change in progress. It is of long, steady persistent…” quote by Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/robert-henri-1803_artist_in-these-times-there-is-a-powerful-demar_1501033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/robert-henri-1803_artist_in-these-times-there-is-a-powerful-demar_1501033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/282/robert-henri-1803_artist_in-these-times-there-is-a-powerful-demar_1501033.jpg) > ““In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the surface and the deep currents of human development. Events and upheavals, which seem more profound than they really are, are happening on the surface. But there is another and deeper change in progress. It is of long, steady persistent growth, very little affected and not at all disturbed by surface conditions. The artist of today should be alive to this deeper evolution on which all growth depends, has depended and will depend. On the surface there is the battle of institutions, the illustration of events, the strife between peoples. On the surface there is propaganda and there is the effort to force opinions. The deeper current carries no propaganda. The shock of the surface upheaval does not deflect it from its course. It is in search of fundamental principle; that basic principle of all, which in degree as it is apprehended points the way to beauty and order, and to the law of nature.”” [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True progress lies in deep, steady growth invisible on the surface, beyond institutions and propaganda. **In simple terms:** Deep growth happens quietly, beyond visible turmoil. Key Takeaway Focus on internal development rather than external noise. Themes growth depth principle beauty order nature Mood contemplative optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - long‑term projects - personal mastery - social change Key Concepts philosophy psychology artistic theory Questions to Reflect On - What deep principles guide your work? - How can you stay steady amid turmoil? A Different Perspective Surface events can distract from lasting change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Deeper Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper-change-2835238/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Human development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-development/) [Law of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-of-nature/) [Surface Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface-deep-1962783/) [Surface Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface-deeper-5503062/) [Surface Upheaval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface-upheaval-5503061/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Upheavals Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upheavals-profound-5503063/) ## Related quotes > [Your great power lies not on the surface, but deep within your being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mcdonald/your-great-power-lies-not-on-the-surface-but-deep-within-your-being/) [Roger McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mcdonald/) > [“Throwing out your couch as a substitute for deeper change is different from throwing out your couch because it’s moldy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/throwing-out-your-couch-as-a-substitute-for-deeper-change-is/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [“The deeper the change and the greater the amount of new learning required, the more resistance there will be and, thus, the greater the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-linsky/the-deeper-the-change-and-the-greater-the-amount-of-new-learning/) [Martin Linsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-linsky/) > [E.U.-U.S. ties are deeper than any change in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federica-mogherini/e-u-u-s-ties-are-deeper-than-any-change-in-politics/) [Federica Mogherini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federica-mogherini/) > [“If you start losing people used to be close to you, then you probably should reconsider yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindrella/if-you-start-losing-people-used-to-be-close-to-you-then-you-probably/) [Cindrella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindrella/) > [Citizens across the United States are now uniting in a great cause to establish a Department of Peace, seeking nothing less than the transformation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/citizens-across-the-united-states-are-now-uniting-in-a-great-cause-to/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [“Each human is created for a purpose in this life. None of these purposes is revenge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/each-human-is-created-for-a-purpose-in-this-life-none-of-these/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [“Heartstorming takes you much further than your brainstorm can conceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lurdes-peixoto/heartstorming-takes-you-much-further-than-your-brainstorm-can-conceive/) [Lurdes Peixoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lurdes-peixoto/) > [“So long as the child was fed on its mother's milk, everything seemed to it smooth and easy. But when it had to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/so-long-as-the-child-was-fed-on-its-mother-s-milk-everything-seemed/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [We see the world, not as it is, but as we are -- or, as we are conditioned to see it. When we open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/we-see-the-world-not-as-it-is-but-as-we-are-or-as-we-are-conditioned/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“For balance to be restored, lessons must be learned”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/for-balance-to-be-restored-lessons-must-be-learned/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [There is one lesson from the past, in particular, that we cannot afford to ignore: You cannot make progress on gender equality or broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/there-is-one-lesson-from-the-past-in-particular-that-we-cannot-afford/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“Nothing matches a Sailor's kiss coming back home where he belongs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/nothing-matches-a-sailor-s-kiss-coming-back-home-where-he-belongs/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [“One day I had nothing but my childhood to defend myself…..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/one-day-i-had-nothing-but-my-childhood-to-defend-myself/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [“Out of all its squalor and human decay, its eruptions of butchery, India produced so many people of grace and beauty, ruled by elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-all-its-squalor-and-human-decay-its-eruptions-of-butchery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Robert Henri > [It is the common defect of modern art study. Too many students do not know why they draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-is-the-common-defect-of-modern-art-study-too-many-students-do-not/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your only hope of satisfying others is in satisfying yourself. I speak of a great satisfaction, not a commercial satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-only-hope-of-satisfying-others-is-in-satisfying-yourself-i-speak/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Keep a bad drawing until by study you have found out why it is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/keep-a-bad-drawing-until-by-study-you-have-found-out-why-it-is-bad/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Self-education only produces expressions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/self-education-only-produces-expressions-of-self/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Genius is not a possession of the limited few, but exists in some degree in everyone. Where there is natural growth, a full and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/genius-is-not-a-possession-of-the-limited-few-but-exists-in-some/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Your painting is the marking of your progression into nature, a sensation of something you see way beyond the two pretty colors over there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-painting-is-the-marking-of-your-progression-into-nature-a/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [The sketch hunter moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-sketch-hunter-moves-through-life-as-he-finds-it-not-passing/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [There are pictures that manifest education and there are pictures that manifest love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/there-are-pictures-that-manifest-education-and-there-are-pictures/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [I am interested in the size of your intention. It is better to overstate the important than to understate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/i-am-interested-in-the-size-of-your-intention-it-is-better-to/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“We will be happy if we can get around to the idea that art is not an outside and extra thing; that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/we-will-be-happy-if-we-can-get-around-to-the-idea-that-art-is-not-an/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“It beats all the things that wealth can give and everything else in the world to say the things one believes, to put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/it-beats-all-the-things-that-wealth-can-give-and-everything-else-in/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“A GREAT PAINTER will know a great deal about how he did it, but still he will say, “How did I do it?” The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/a-great-painter-will-know-a-great-deal-about-how-he-did-it-but-still/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“Concentrate on a single feature – as, build all toward one eye – make all lines lead toward that eye. (Robert Henri)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/concentrate-on-a-single-feature-as-build-all-toward-one-eye-make-all/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Good composition is like a suspension bridge - each line adds strength and takes none away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/good-composition-is-like-a-suspension-bridge-each-line-adds-strength/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) [Explore all 207 Robert Henri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In these times there is a powerful demarcation between the surface and the deep currents of human development. Events and upheavals, which seem more profound than they really are, are happening on the surface. But there is another and deeper change in progress. It is of long, steady persistent growth, very little affected and not at all disturbed by surface conditions. The artist of today should be alive to this deeper evolution on which all growth depends, has depended and will depend. 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