---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: High culture is paranoid about sentiment…"
description: "\"“High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings are intensely sentimental. And if art doesn’t speak language that’s acceptable to people, i..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg"
---

#  High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings…

![“High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings are intensely sentimental. And if art doesn’t speak language that’s acceptable to people, it relegates itself to obscurity.” quote by Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg)

> ““High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings are intensely sentimental. And if art doesn’t speak language that’s acceptable to people, it relegates itself to obscurity.””

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

High culture dismisses sentiment, yet humans are deeply emotional; art that ignores this becomes obscure.

**In simple terms:** Art must connect with human feeling or be ignored.

Key Takeaway

Create emotionally resonant work to stay relevant.

Themes

art culture emotion sentimentality

Mood

reflective critical

Type

artistic philosophical

When to use this quote

- gallery exhibitions
- public installations
- media criticism
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

aesthetics human psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can artists balance intellect and emotion?
- What makes art universally appealing?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on intellect can alienate audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Sentimentality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimentality/)

## Related quotes

> [High culture is paranoid about sentiment. But human beings are intensely sentimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment-but-human-beings-are-2/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [“We have lived for too long with the arts as the pretty bit around the edge with the reality as a non-artistic thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/we-have-lived-for-too-long-with-the-arts-as-the-pretty-bit-around-the/)

[N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/)

> [But as I see it, the most corrupt art is the sentimental the art of orange blossoms which make pale women swoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-pissarro/but-as-i-see-it-the-most-corrupt-art-is-the-sentimental-the-art-of/)

[Camille Pissarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-pissarro/)

> [Revenge is not a noble sentiment, but it is a human one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/revenge-is-not-a-noble-sentiment-but-it-is-a-human-one/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [People always say "pop culture." As if we have some high culture to distinguish it from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/people-always-say-pop-culture-as-if-we-have-some-high-culture-to/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [In its relation to the reality of daily life, the high culture of the past was many things opposition and adornment, outcry and resignation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/in-its-relation-to-the-reality-of-daily-life-the-high-culture-of-the/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [The man or nation of high culture may acknowledge to great lengths the restraints imposed by conventions and honour, but beyond a certain point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/the-man-or-nation-of-high-culture-may-acknowledge-to-great-lengths/)

[H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/)

> [Popular culture is seductive; high culture is imperious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/popular-culture-is-seductive-high-culture-is-imperious/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [Some people think literature is high culture and that it should only have a small readership. I don't think so... I have to compete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-think-literature-is-high-culture-and-that-it-should-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [High culture always isolates, always drives men out of their class, and makes it more difficult for them to share naturally and easily the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-gilbert-hamerton/high-culture-always-isolates-always-drives-men-out-of-their-class-and/)

[Philip Gilbert Hamerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-gilbert-hamerton/)

> [High culture is the ability to hear the William Tell Overture and not think of the Lone Ranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-d-hlavaty/high-culture-is-the-ability-to-hear-the-william-tell-overture-and-not/)

[Arthur D. Hlavaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-d-hlavaty/)

> [Now of course like, you know fancy go to the opera and see drama and they regard them as high culture. And these, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-rheingold/now-of-course-like-you-know-fancy-go-to-the-opera-and-see-drama-and/)

[Howard Rheingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-rheingold/)

> [“There is little taste for 'high culture' especially in Evangelicalism, where the tendency has long been toward translation - making things accessible to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-davison-hunter/there-is-little-taste-for-high-culture-especially-in-evangelicalism/)

[James Davison Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-davison-hunter/)

> [High culture isn't what it used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/high-culture-isn-t-what-it-used-to-be/)

[Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/)

> [High culture is nothing but a child of that European perversion called history, the obsession we have with going forward, with considering the sequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/high-culture-is-nothing-but-a-child-of-that-european-perversion/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

## More by Thomas Kinkade

> [Art is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/art-is-forever/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [It is easy to have a lot of paintings or projects hanging around that are 'almost done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/it-is-easy-to-have-a-lot-of-paintings-or-projects-hanging-around-that/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [My joy burns brighter when I tend to the glowing hearth fires of home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/my-joy-burns-brighter-when-i-tend-to-the-glowing-hearth-fires-of-home/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life. It starts with recognizing your talents and finding ways to serve others by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/balance-peace-and-joy-are-the-fruit-of-a-successful-life-it-starts/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [Somewhere out there is a unique place for you to help others - a unique life role for you to fill that only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/somewhere-out-there-is-a-unique-place-for-you-to-help-others-a-unique/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [I began my career creating art for an animated feature film, and it has been a life-long dream to tell some of the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/i-began-my-career-creating-art-for-an-animated-feature-film-and-it/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/balance-peace-and-joy-are-the-fruit-of-a-successful-life/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [I share something in common with Norman Rockwell and, for that matter, with Walt Disney, in that I really like to make people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/i-share-something-in-common-with-norman-rockwell-and-for-that-matter/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [When I filter the sunshine in my life, I bask in the light of a transforming and inspiring reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/when-i-filter-the-sunshine-in-my-life-i-bask-in-the-light-of-a/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [Cherish the people who make up your home, and you'll notice the hearth fires burn brighter than ever before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/cherish-the-people-who-make-up-your-home-and-you-ll-notice-the-hearth/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [The power of prayer is like turning on a light as it illuminates God's purpose for our lives. There is no greater connection to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/the-power-of-prayer-is-like-turning-on-a-light-as-it-illuminates-god/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [Surround yourself with the kinds of input that are uplifting, that expand your mind and settle your spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/surround-yourself-with-the-kinds-of-input-that-are-uplifting-that/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [There's been million-seller books and million-seller CDs. But there hasn't been, until now, million-seller art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/there-s-been-million-seller-books-and-million-seller-cds-but-there/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [What I paint touches on foundational life values. Home, family, peacefulness. And one of the messages I try to constantly get across is, 'Slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/what-i-paint-touches-on-foundational-life-values-home-family/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

> [This world is very dark, but in Heaven there is no darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/this-world-is-very-dark-but-in-heaven-there-is-no-darkness/)

[Thomas Kinkade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

[Explore all 69 Thomas Kinkade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/)

## 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": "“High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings are intensely sentimental. And if art doesn’t speak language that’s acceptable to people, it relegates itself to obscurity.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Kinkade"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment-but-human-beings-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment-but-human-beings-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01c/thomas-kinkade-9869_art_high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment_2958070.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“High culture is paranoid about sentiment, but human beings are intensely sentimental. And if art doesn’t…” — Thomas Kinkade",
                "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": "Thomas Kinkade",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-kinkade/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“High culture is paranoid about sentiment,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment-but-human-beings-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-kinkade/high-culture-is-paranoid-about-sentiment-but-human-beings-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
