--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One great function of the arts is to keep…" description: "\"One great function of the arts is to keep ideals alive in a culture that does not yet realize them.\" — Susan Neiman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/susan-neiman-16864_alive_one-great-function-of-the-arts-is-to-kee_285477.jpg" --- # One great function of the arts is to keep ideals alive in… ![“One great function of the arts is to keep ideals alive in a culture that does not yet realize them.” quote by Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/susan-neiman-16864_alive_one-great-function-of-the-arts-is-to-kee_285477.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/susan-neiman-16864_alive_one-great-function-of-the-arts-is-to-kee_285477.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a90/susan-neiman-16864_alive_one-great-function-of-the-arts-is-to-kee_285477.jpg) > “One great function of the arts is to keep ideals alive in a culture that does not yet realize them.” [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Arts sustain and nurture ideals that a society has yet to recognize. **In simple terms:** Art keeps future values alive. Key Takeaway Support artistic expression to shape cultural evolution. Themes art ideals culture Mood hopeful thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education curricula - public art projects - cultural policy - creative workshops Key Concepts aesthetic philosophy future studies social imagination Questions to Reflect On - Which art forms best convey emerging ideals? - How can art influence public policy? A Different Perspective Art alone cannot force societal change without broader engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arts/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) ## Related quotes > [The man who fights for his ideals is alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/the-man-who-fights-for-his-ideals-is-alive/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“Look at the kind of people who most object to the childishness and cheapness of celebrity culture. Does one really want to side with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/look-at-the-kind-of-people-who-most-object-to-the-childishness-and/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/culture-does-not-make-people-people-make-culture-if-it-is-true-that/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [A something-for-nothing culture does no one any favours. It makes those who are doing the right thing cynical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-grayling/a-something-for-nothing-culture-does-no-one-any-favours-it-makes/) [Chris Grayling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-grayling/) > [“I remembered what Morrie said during our visit: “The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-remembered-what-morrie-said-during-our-visit-the-culture-we-have/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [People are only mean when they're threatened, and that's what our culture does...And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/people-are-only-mean-when-they-re-threatened-and-that-s-what-our-2/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [One ought not to hoard culture. It should be adapted and infused into society as a leaven. Liberality of culture does not mean illiberality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/one-ought-not-to-hoard-culture-it-should-be-adapted-and-infused-into/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/preservation-of-one-s-own-culture-does-not-require-contempt-or/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong things. And you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/well-for-one-thing-the-culture-we-have-does-not-make-people-feel-good-2/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [People are only mean when they're threatened, and that's what our culture does. That's what our economy does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/people-are-only-mean-when-they-re-threatened-and-that-s-what-our/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Well, for one thing, the culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/well-for-one-thing-the-culture-we-have-does-not-make-people-feel-good/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Said to Mitch Album in "Tuesday's with Morrie": "The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We're teaching the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/said-to-mitch-album-in-tuesday-s-with-morrie-the-culture-we-have-does/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [“Relationships may not scale, but culture does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-malone-scott/relationships-may-not-scale-but-culture-does/) [Kim Malone Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-malone-scott/) > [The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/the-culture-we-have-does-not-make-people-feel-good-about-themselves/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [ From a hundred cultures, \[there is\] one culture which does what no culture has ever done before-gives a place to every human gift. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/from-a-hundred-cultures-there-is-one-culture-which-does-what-no/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More by Susan Neiman > [“Sometimes realism seems to mean no more than the advice to plan ahead before you start a war. Sometimes realism means the recognition that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/sometimes-realism-seems-to-mean-no-more-than-the-advice-to-plan-ahead/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Ordinary goodness is fraught with veins of vanity and self-interest and above all with pleasure--because goodness makes you feel more alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/ordinary-goodness-is-fraught-with-veins-of-vanity-and-self-interest/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“The dangers of sophistry and scholasticism are present in the possibility of philosophy itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/the-dangers-of-sophistry-and-scholasticism-are-present-in-the/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [In the most general terms, the Enlightenment goes back to Plato's belief that truth and beauty and goodness are connected; that truth and beauty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/in-the-most-general-terms-the-enlightenment-goes-back-to-plato-s/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“The claim that there is no alternative but perdition to a worldview that shows how everything fits together and makes perfect sense is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/the-claim-that-there-is-no-alternative-but-perdition-to-a-worldview/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“When education is overwhelmed by hypermedia, travel facile or ruinous, and work a blurred mixture of more dependence and less meaning, it’s harder than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/when-education-is-overwhelmed-by-hypermedia-travel-facile-or-ruinous/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Vitality is not the denial of mortality, but the grown-up way of facing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/vitality-is-not-the-denial-of-mortality-but-the-grown-up-way-of/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Negotiating small differences is part of being a grownup; no one can tell you in advance where to put your foot down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/negotiating-small-differences-is-part-of-being-a-grownup-no-one-can/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“how can human beings behave in ways that so thoroughly violate both reasonable and rational norms?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/how-can-human-beings-behave-in-ways-that-so-thoroughly-violate-both/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“It’s a matter of logical structure: what is, just is, and any claim about what ought to be is a claim about our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/it-s-a-matter-of-logical-structure-what-is-just-is-and-any-claim/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Kitsch is much more than a question of style; it's a preference for consolation over truth. Disney's version of reality is not just cleaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/kitsch-is-much-more-than-a-question-of-style-it-s-a-preference-for/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“What drives pure reason to efforts that seem to have neither end nor result?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/what-drives-pure-reason-to-efforts-that-seem-to-have-neither-end-nor/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“What we rarely see receive is a picture of adulthood that represents it as the ideal it should be. (...) What better way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/what-we-rarely-see-receive-is-a-picture-of-adulthood-that-represents/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“If life is a gift, then the more you partake in it, the more you show thanks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/if-life-is-a-gift-then-the-more-you-partake-in-it-the-more-you-show/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [“Every time you accept the claim that you can't change human nature or you have to accept the way the world is, you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/every-time-you-accept-the-claim-that-you-can-t-change-human-nature-or/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) [Explore all 38 Susan Neiman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. 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