--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the creative act, we are able to reach…" description: "\"By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.\" — Rollo May" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg" --- # By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own… ![“By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.” quote by Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg) > “By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.” [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative expression transcends mortality, giving lasting impact. **In simple terms:** Creative acts outlive the creator. Key Takeaway Create to leave a legacy. Themes creativity mortality legacy Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - writing - visual arts - music composition Key Concepts existential therapy artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does your art confront death? - What legacy do you hope to leave? A Different Perspective Creative work may be forgotten without preservation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Able Reach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able-reach-653366/) [Act Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/act-able-1055516/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-act/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Reach Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reach-death-1606781/) ## Related quotes > [The final hour when we cease to exist does not itself bring death; it merely of itself completes the death-process. We reach death at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-final-hour-when-we-cease-to-exist-does-not-itself-bring-death-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am in reach of death's hand as I'm blinded by the path I took never to look back and only one way path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-in-reach-of-death-s-hand-as-i-m-blinded-by-the-path-i-took-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't take back an act you were able to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/you-can-t-take-back-an-act-you-were-able-to-think/) [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [For a long while, I've wanted to be able to act and to be able to showcase that has been just an absolute pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/for-a-long-while-i-ve-wanted-to-be-able-to-act-and-to-be-able-to/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [It is therapeutic for me to act, to be able to slip into somebody else's skin, and know it's not you, but know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/it-is-therapeutic-for-me-to-act-to-be-able-to-slip-into-somebody-else/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [Most of us are tiptoeing through life so we can reach death safely. We should be praying, "If I should wake before I die.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/most-of-us-are-tiptoeing-through-life-so-we-can-reach-death-safely-we/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Barack Obama and his followers and his adorers have decided he can bring us all together, that he can reach across aisles, he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/barack-obama-and-his-followers-and-his-adorers-have-decided-he-can/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I've been able to reach from the streets to the suites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-ve-been-able-to-reach-from-the-streets-to-the-suites/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [“In order to bring down the great, you have to be able to reach the stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/in-order-to-bring-down-the-great-you-have-to-be-able-to-reach-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I like the idea of being able to reach out and speak to a human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sugg/i-like-the-idea-of-being-able-to-reach-out-and-speak-to-a-human/) [Joe Sugg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sugg/) > [Perhaps the meaning of all human activity lies in the artistic consciousness, in the pointless and selfless creative act? Perhaps our capacity to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/perhaps-the-meaning-of-all-human-activity-lies-in-the-artistic/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [Creativity is not a solitary movement. That is its power. Whatever is touched by it, whoever hears it, sees it, senses it, knows it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/creativity-is-not-a-solitary-movement-that-is-its-power-whatever-is/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Every culture, if its natural development is not too much affected by political restrictions, experiences a perpetual renewal of the formative urge, and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/every-culture-if-its-natural-development-is-not-too-much-affected-by/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/half-of-the-pleasure-of-painting-and-feeling-the-joy-of-the-creative/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) ## More by Rollo May > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Political freedom is to be cherished indeed. But there is no political freedom that is not indissolubly bound to the inner personal freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/political-freedom-is-to-be-cherished-indeed-but-there-is-no-political/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the effect which comes when we use our powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-effect-which-comes-when-we-use-our-powers/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [In religion, it is not the sycophants or those who cling most faithfully to the status quo who are ultimately praised. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/in-religion-it-is-not-the-sycophants-or-those-who-cling-most/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One of the few blessings of living in an age of anxiety is that we are forced to become aware of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-of-the-few-blessings-of-living-in-an-age-of-anxiety-is-that-we/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Intimacy requires courage because risk is inescapable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/intimacy-requires-courage-because-risk-is-inescapable/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Artists do not run away from non-being, but by encountering and wrestling with it, force it to produce being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/artists-do-not-run-away-from-non-being-but-by-encountering-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/technology-is-the-knack-of-so-arranging-the-world-that-we-do-not/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-zest-that-you-get-out-of-using-your-talents-your/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One must have at least a readiness to love the other person, broadly speaking, if one is to be able to understand him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-must-have-at-least-a-readiness-to-love-the-other-person-broadly/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Man is the "ethical animal" ethical in potentiality even if, unfortunately, not in actuality. His capacity for ethical judgment like freedom, reason and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/man-is-the-ethical-animal-ethical-in-potentiality-even-if/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Evil, in this system of ethics, is that which tears apart, shuts out the other person, raises barriers, sets people against each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/evil-in-this-system-of-ethics-is-that-which-tears-apart-shuts-out-the/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [We receive love — from our children as well as others — not in proportion to our demands or sacrifices or needs, but roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/we-receive-love-from-our-children-as-well-as-others-not-in-proportion/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/the-opposite-of-courage-in-our-society-is-not-cowardice-it-is/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The personal freedom to think & feel & speak authentically & to be conscious of so doing is the quality that distinguishes us as human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/the-personal-freedom-to-think-feel-speak-authentically-to-be/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Explore all 259 Rollo May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rollo May" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/rollo-may-1295_able_by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach_142506.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.” — Rollo May", "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": "Rollo May", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "By the creative act, we are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/#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 } } ] } ```