--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: \"Art Imitates life,\" of course, is that…" description: "\"\"Art Imitates life,\" of course, is that phrase by Oscar Wilde. I called that song \"Art Imitates Life\" because Oh No was in the studio and he actually c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/talib-kweli-1746_art_art-imitates-life-of-course-is-that-phra_1474398.jpg" --- # "Art Imitates life," of course, is that phrase by Oscar… ![“"Art Imitates life," of course, is that phrase by Oscar Wilde. I called that song "Art Imitates Life" because Oh No was in the studio and he actually came up with that hook. When I was trying to figure out a name for the record, it just kind of made sense.” quote by Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/talib-kweli-1746_art_art-imitates-life-of-course-is-that-phra_1474398.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/talib-kweli-1746_art_art-imitates-life-of-course-is-that-phra_1474398.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8dd/talib-kweli-1746_art_art-imitates-life-of-course-is-that-phra_1474398.jpg) > “"Art Imitates life," of course, is that phrase by Oscar Wilde. I called that song "Art Imitates Life" because Oh No was in the studio and he actually came up with that hook. When I was trying to figure out a name for the record, it just kind of made sense.” [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The phrase “Art imitates life” inspired a song title, reflecting how creative work mirrors lived experience. **In simple terms:** Art reflects life; the song title shows that. Key Takeaway Create art that mirrors life. Themes art life creativity Mood thoughtful creative Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - songwriting - visual art - writing - personal storytelling Key Concepts inspiration reflection Questions to Reflect On - What aspect of your life could inspire a creative piece? - How does reflecting life in art affect its impact? A Different Perspective Art may oversimplify complex experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Imitates Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-imitates-life/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Oscars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oscars/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [I'm an actor, and I keep observing people and their reactions to figure out what they are thinking. There's only so much you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preity-zinta/i-m-an-actor-and-i-keep-observing-people-and-their-reactions-to/) [Preity Zinta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preity-zinta/) > [Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/life-imitates-art-far-more-than-art-imitates-life/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Art imitates life. Life imitates high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/art-imitates-life-life-imitates-high-school/) [Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/) > [Art imitates life. It's definitely helpful to feel that way. You feel that way when you're leading a show and you're on a set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rose/art-imitates-life-it-s-definitely-helpful-to-feel-that-way-you-feel/) [Emily Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rose/) > [It's very interesting how life imitates art, and art imitates life; I find, whenever I read scenes of some magnitude, I'm like, 'Oh, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-moennig/it-s-very-interesting-how-life-imitates-art-and-art-imitates-life-i/) [Katherine Moennig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-moennig/) > [Sometimes art imitates life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/sometimes-art-imitates-life/) [Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/) > [When you deal with Alan Ball, you're dealing with a person who is a genius in terms of how art imitates life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelsan-ellis/when-you-deal-with-alan-ball-you-re-dealing-with-a-person-who-is-a/) [Nelsan Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelsan-ellis/) > [I feel like art imitates life and life imitates art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tia-mowry/i-feel-like-art-imitates-life-and-life-imitates-art/) [Tia Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tia-mowry/) > [Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/paradoxically-though-it-may-seem-it-is-none-the-less-true-that-life/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I'm just happy that in the whole framework of art imitates life, or maybe life should be imitating art, there is this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/i-m-just-happy-that-in-the-whole-framework-of-art-imitates-life-or/) [Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/) > [All that I desire to point out is the general principle that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/all-that-i-desire-to-point-out-is-the-general-principle-that-life/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [At first, art imitates life. Then life will imitate art.Then life will find its very existence from the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/at-first-art-imitates-life-then-life-will-imitate-art-then-life-will/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [Art imitates life and, sometimes, life imitates art. It's a weird combination of elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/art-imitates-life-and-sometimes-life-imitates-art-it-s-a-weird/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [“Possible Ending #16 (Life Imitates Art Imitates Life Imitates Art Imitates): I'd seen this movie. Obvious ending: outright betrayal, lesson learned, life is heartbreak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wilson/possible-ending-16-life-imitates-art-imitates-life-imitates-art/) Adam Wilson > [“Does life imitate art, or does art imitate life? I believe life imitates art the imitates life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-g-ortiz/does-life-imitate-art-or-does-art-imitate-life-i-believe-life/) [Kenneth G. Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-g-ortiz/) ## More by Talib Kweli > [By the time you get into other kinds of music - R&B, country, or whatever - it becomes something that's romantic. It becomes something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/by-the-time-you-get-into-other-kinds-of-music-r-b-country-or-whatever/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [War is not civilized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/war-is-not-civilized/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [The problem with our role is Americans live in a world of illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/the-problem-with-our-role-is-americans-live-in-a-world-of-illusion/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [Honestly, you have to take care of yourself. That's probably something I have learned on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/honestly-you-have-to-take-care-of-yourself-that-s-probably-something/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [I remember looking back on a photo of me... wearing a suit that was, like, two sizes too big for me. I think a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/i-remember-looking-back-on-a-photo-of-me-wearing-a-suit-that-was-like/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [People can be inspired the way I've been inspired by music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/people-can-be-inspired-the-way-i-ve-been-inspired-by-music/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [You have to learn how to harness technology so you can use it for positive stuff without being disconnected from nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/you-have-to-learn-how-to-harness-technology-so-you-can-use-it-for/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [I call these rappers baby seals, cause they club you to death. I could call them Navy SEALs, cause they government feds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/i-call-these-rappers-baby-seals-cause-they-club-you-to-death-i-could/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [You have to know when to be arrogant. You have to when to be humble. You have to know when to be hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/you-have-to-know-when-to-be-arrogant-you-have-to-when-to-be-humble/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [The only way for me to be an artist is to be honest in my craft. If I veer from that, I'm not giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/the-only-way-for-me-to-be-an-artist-is-to-be-honest-in-my-craft-if-i/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [I like the fact that I can rep New York, but my style does not - I'm not trapped in a New York thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/i-like-the-fact-that-i-can-rep-new-york-but-my-style-does-not-i-m-not/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [When you a man, action is whats expected, nothing is spoken on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/when-you-a-man-action-is-whats-expected-nothing-is-spoken-on/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [With Prisoner of Conscience, the focus was - I've worked with Madlib, High Tech, Kanye West, J Dilla. I feel like I've worked with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/with-prisoner-of-conscience-the-focus-was-i-ve-worked-with-madlib/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [A lot of these people, these program directors, just like anybody else in the world, even though they're supposed to be leaders in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/a-lot-of-these-people-these-program-directors-just-like-anybody-else/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) [Explore all 211 Talib Kweli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) ## More Art quotes > [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/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [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/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“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 > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [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/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "\"Art Imitates life,\" of course, is that phrase by Oscar Wilde. 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