--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Orpheus never liked words. He had his…" description: "\"“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you thinking about and he would always be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/sarah-ruhl-13926_artists_orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-mus_884463.jpg" --- # Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get… ![“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you thinking about and he would always be thinking about music. If we were in a restaurant sometimes Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn't talk to me and I thought people felt sorry for me…” quote by sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/sarah-ruhl-13926_artists_orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-mus_884463.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/sarah-ruhl-13926_artists_orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-mus_884463.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/812/sarah-ruhl-13926_artists_orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-mus_884463.jpg) > ““Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you thinking about and he would always be thinking about music. If we were in a restaurant sometimes Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn't talk to me and I thought people felt sorry for me. I should have realized that women envied me. Their husbands talked too much. But I wanted to talk to him about my notions. I was working on a new philosophical system. It involved hats. This is what it is to love an artist: The moon is always rising above your house. The houses of your neighbors look dull and lacking in moonlight. But he is always going away from you. Inside his head there is always something more beautiful. Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. It only means one thing.”” [sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes an artist whose mind is fluid and musical, using metaphorical language to convey the elusive nature of creative thought and love. **In simple terms:** Artist's mind is flexible and musical, always seeking beauty. Key Takeaway Embrace fluid, creative thinking. Themes creativity art metaphor love philosophy Mood thoughtful poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - artistic collaboration - creative brainstorming - philosophical discussion - personal introspection Key Concepts fluidity musical cognition subjective perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret the metaphor of the moon? - What does a "slide ruler" mind mean to you? A Different Perspective The narrative is obscure and may confuse readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) [Beautiful Orpheus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-orpheus-1084651/) [Felt Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-sorry/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Orpheus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus/) [Orpheus Liked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus-liked-1084649/) [Orpheus Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus-look-1084650/) [Orpheus Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orpheus-said-1084648/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) ## Related quotes > [“Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. It only means one thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-said-the-mind-is-a-slide-ruler-it-can-fit-around-anything/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-music-he-would-get-a-funny-look-2/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [“If we were in a restaurant sometimes Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn't talk to me and I thought people felt sorry for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/if-we-were-in-a-restaurant-sometimes-orpheus-would-look-sullen-and/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [But would you sing, and rival Orpheus' strain. The wond'ring forests soon should dance again; The moving mountains hear the powerful call. 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Ah, not even Orpheus had attained such a goal, not even his immortal greatness had justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-broch/orpheus-chose-to-be-the-leader-of-mankind-ah-not-even-orpheus-had/) [Hermann Broch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-broch/) > [“... and in the homosexual phase which would follow Eurydice's death ... Orpheus sings no more, he writes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/and-in-the-homosexual-phase-which-would-follow-eurydice-s-death/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [How infinitely happier and more grateful is the whole personality or spirit when it finds something nourishing in art or writing or thinking, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/how-infinitely-happier-and-more-grateful-is-the-whole-personality-or/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [“Collect yourself: to smother what you feel, recall to order, summon in one place; making, like Orpheus, a system against loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-padel/collect-yourself-to-smother-what-you-feel-recall-to-order-summon-in/) [Ruth Padel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-padel/) ## More by sarah ruhl > [“I hate parties. And a wedding is the biggest party of all. All the guests arrived and Orpheus is taking a shower. He's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-hate-parties-and-a-wedding-is-the-biggest-party-of-all-all-the/) [Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/) > [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? 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If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-haven-t-talked-to-any-young-artists-for-a-long-time-but-if-we-did/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) [Browse all 1,608 Artists quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you thinking about and he would always be thinking about music. If we were in a restaurant sometimes Orpheus would look sullen and wouldn't talk to me and I thought people felt sorry for me. I should have realized that women envied me. Their husbands talked too much. But I wanted to talk to him about my notions. I was working on a new philosophical system. It involved hats. This is what it is to love an artist: The moon is always rising above your house. The houses of your neighbors look dull and lacking in moonlight. But he is always going away from you. Inside his head there is always something more beautiful. Orpheus said the mind is a slide ruler. It can fit around anything. Show me your body, he said. 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