--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To allow only the kind of art that the…" description: "\"To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. It is my conviction tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/thomas-mann-1103_art_to-allow-only-the-kind-of-art-that-the-a_1804958.jpg" --- # To allow only the kind of art that the average man… ![“To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. It is my conviction that the intellect can be certain that in doing what most disconcerts the crowd, in pursuing the most daring, unconventional advances and…” quote by Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/thomas-mann-1103_art_to-allow-only-the-kind-of-art-that-the-a_1804958.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/thomas-mann-1103_art_to-allow-only-the-kind-of-art-that-the-a_1804958.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/thomas-mann-1103_art_to-allow-only-the-kind-of-art-that-the-a_1804958.jpg) > “To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. It is my conviction that the intellect can be certain that in doing what most disconcerts the crowd, in pursuing the most daring, unconventional advances and explorations, it will in some highly indirect fashion serve man - and in the long run, all men.” [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that limiting art to popular taste stifles intellectual and spiritual growth; daring, unconventional art ultimately benefits humanity. **In simple terms:** Restricting art to popular taste harms society. Key Takeaway Encourage bold, unconventional creativity. Themes art intellect creativity Mood critical inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education curricula - media production - public policy Key Concepts Censorship cultural progress Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking in artistic expression? - How can society balance popular appeal with innovation? A Different Perspective Bold art may alienate mainstream audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Daring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daring/) [Exploration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploration/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Small Mindedness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-mindedness/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Unconventional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconventional/) ## Related quotes > [What is important, then, is not that the critic should possess a correct abstract definition of beauty for the intellect, but a certain kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-pater/what-is-important-then-is-not-that-the-critic-should-possess-a/) [Walter Pater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-pater/) > [I want to live outside of the box, and I definitely don't want to put God in a box, so I want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-benson/i-want-to-live-outside-of-the-box-and-i-definitely-don-t-want-to-put/) [Jodi Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-benson/) > [“Bigheadedness is usually a symptom of small-mindedness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/bigheadedness-is-usually-a-symptom-of-small-mindedness/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I don't think I have rebelled against Latina culture. I have rebelled against those who try to make me warm tortillas for my brothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-bag/i-don-t-think-i-have-rebelled-against-latina-culture-i-have-rebelled/) [Alice Bag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-bag/) > [The only issue that I have a problem with when it comes to the new age is the way that people such as myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-only-issue-that-i-have-a-problem-with-when-it-comes-to-the-new/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Jonah can't see how Assyria could serve any useful purpose. How could this commission better Israel? Jonah might even fear that God will reverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-zehabe/jonah-can-t-see-how-assyria-could-serve-any-useful-purpose-how-could/) [Michael Ben Zehabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-zehabe/) > [We've lost our sense of ethics; we live in a world of small-mindedness, of gratification without happiness and actions without meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-ve-lost-our-sense-of-ethics-we-live-in-a-world-of-small-mindedness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It belongs to small-mindedness to be unable to bear either honor or dishonor, either good fortune or bad, but to be filled with conceit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-belongs-to-small-mindedness-to-be-unable-to-bear-either-honor-or/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“If you know who you are, rejection matters very little. It says more about the small-mindedness of the person who is doing the rejecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/if-you-know-who-you-are-rejection-matters-very-little-it-says-more/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [“But what if absolute consistency on any issue from the left or the right, religious or secular, is an indication of mediocre intelligence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-what-if-absolute-consistency-on-any-issue-from-the-left-or-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How terrible it is to recognize that one’s brilliance rests solely upon the small-mindedness of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shun-lien-bynum/how-terrible-it-is-to-recognize-that-one-s-brilliance-rests-solely/) [Sarah Shun-lien Bynum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shun-lien-bynum/) > [I'm a little unconventional; I do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-alvarez/i-m-a-little-unconventional-i-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Eddie Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-alvarez/) > [I believe in God, but in my own unconventional way. We're not affiliated with any organisation, and I have no religious education of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/i-believe-in-god-but-in-my-own-unconventional-way-we-re-not/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [If we're going to have an unconventional budget, we probably need an unconventional process to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/if-we-re-going-to-have-an-unconventional-budget-we-probably-need-an/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [A man who believes that all things are possible, approaches the unconventional with an open mind and a fearless heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-who-believes-that-all-things-are-possible-approaches-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Mann > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“Solitude favors the original, the daringly and otherworldly beautiful, the poem. But it also favors the wrongful, the extreme, the absurd, and the forbidden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-favors-the-original-the-daringly-and-otherworldly-beautiful/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“But what would be our readers’ reaction if we simply refused to get to the bottom of that question?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/but-what-would-be-our-readers-reaction-if-we-simply-refused-to-get-to/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What good would politics be, if it didn’t give everyone the opportunity to make moral compromises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/what-good-would-politics-be-if-it-didn-t-give-everyone-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“O, čarobna organsko lepoto, koja se ne sastojiš ni iz uljane boje ni iz kamena, već iz materije žive i raspadljive, pune grozničave tajne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/o-arobna-organsko-lepoto-koja-se-ne-sastoji-ni-iz-uljane-boje-ni-iz/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Opinions cannot survive if one has no chance to fight for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/opinions-cannot-survive-if-one-has-no-chance-to-fight-for-them/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“I hope that you have nothing against malice, my good engineer. In my eyes it is the brightest sword that reason has against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/i-hope-that-you-have-nothing-against-malice-my-good-engineer-in-my/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“...only the exhaustive can be truly interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/only-the-exhaustive-can-be-truly-interesting/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“The days began to fly now, and yet each one of them was stretched by renewed expectations and swollen with silent, private experiences. Yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/the-days-began-to-fly-now-and-yet-each-one-of-them-was-stretched-by/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“The average man thinks that a little falseness goes with beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/the-average-man-thinks-that-a-little-falseness-goes-with-beauty/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“A stimulus is a stimulus. The body doesn't give a damn about the meaning of the stimulus. Whether minnows or communion, the sebaceous glands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/a-stimulus-is-a-stimulus-the-body-doesn-t-give-a-damn-about-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [It is remarkable how a man cannot summarize his thoughts in even the most general sort of way without betraying himself completely, without putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/it-is-remarkable-how-a-man-cannot-summarize-his-thoughts-in-even-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [“One always needs to be reminded; one is by no means always in possession of one’s whole self. Our consciousness is feeble; only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/one-always-needs-to-be-reminded-one-is-by-no-means-always-in/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Everything is politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/everything-is-politics/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [Is not life in itself a thing of goodness, irrespective of whether the course it takes for us can be called a 'happy' one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/is-not-life-in-itself-a-thing-of-goodness-irrespective-of-whether-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Explore all 239 Thomas Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) ## 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": "To allow only the kind of art that the average man understands is the worst small-mindedness and the murder of mind and spirit. 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