--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My message is to forget about…" description: "\"My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain Opera' is an opera, even if it does not tell a story in the usual way. It is a psychological jour..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/tod-machover-12406_about_my-message-is-to-forget-about-dichotomie_920295.jpg" --- # My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain… ![“My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain Opera' is an opera, even if it does not tell a story in the usual way. It is a psychological journey with voice - so I do consider it an opera.” quote by Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/tod-machover-12406_about_my-message-is-to-forget-about-dichotomie_920295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/tod-machover-12406_about_my-message-is-to-forget-about-dichotomie_920295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/tod-machover-12406_about_my-message-is-to-forget-about-dichotomie_920295.jpg) > “My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain Opera' is an opera, even if it does not tell a story in the usual way. It is a psychological journey with voice - so I do consider it an opera.” [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He encourages abandoning binary thinking, viewing experimental works like 'Brain Opera' as psychological experiences rather than traditional narratives. **In simple terms:** Forget black‑and‑white categories. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity in art. Themes art psychology creativity innovation Mood reflective experimental Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - theatre - music composition - educational workshops - therapy sessions Key Concepts non‑linear narrative experiential design Questions to Reflect On - How does ambiguity affect emotional impact? - Can experimental art foster deeper self‑understanding? A Different Perspective May confuse audiences expecting clear stories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Dichotomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dichotomy/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“Most ecofeminists reject dichotomies and hierarchies as alien to the natural world – nature is interconnections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kemmerer/most-ecofeminists-reject-dichotomies-and-hierarchies-as-alien-to-the/) Lisa Kemmerer > [False dichotomies are often at the heart of discord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/false-dichotomies-are-often-at-the-heart-of-discord/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [The dichotomies, the brokenness of the culture around things like the Vietnam war, and then a lot of it has to do with war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/the-dichotomies-the-brokenness-of-the-culture-around-things-like-the/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [Damn all false dichotomies to hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/damn-all-false-dichotomies-to-hell/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [I despair of persuading people to drop the familiar and comforting tactic of dichotomy. Perhaps, instead, we might expand the framework of debates by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-despair-of-persuading-people-to-drop-the-familiar-and-comforting/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I have often been amused by our vulgar tendency to take complex issues, with solutions at neither extreme of a continuum of possibilities, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-have-often-been-amused-by-our-vulgar-tendency-to-take-complex/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I think we all live dichotomies. I'm a father of three boys and a loyal homebody sort of husband and father. And yet I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/i-think-we-all-live-dichotomies-i-m-a-father-of-three-boys-and-a/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [We speak here of the challenge of the dichotomies of war and peace, violence and non-violence, racism and human dignity, oppression and repression and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-speak-here-of-the-challenge-of-the-dichotomies-of-war-and-peace/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“Dichotomies are most mischevious when they arbitrarily separate parts of a highly interrelated and complex system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ehrenfeld/dichotomies-are-most-mischevious-when-they-arbitrarily-separate-parts/) [David Ehrenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ehrenfeld/) > [I had classical training but I don't consider myself an opera singer though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-had-classical-training-but-i-don-t-consider-myself-an-opera-singer/) [Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/) > [“And cranky old Jacques Derrida notwithstanding, we do love our dichotomies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-king/and-cranky-old-jacques-derrida-notwithstanding-we-do-love-our/) [Thomas King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-king/) > [ “The thought \[behind the Golden Notebook\] was that to divide off and compartmentalize living was dangerous and led to nothing but trouble. Old, young,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-thought-behind-the-golden-notebook-was-that-to-divide-off-and/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“In fact it seems that there may be not one but two basic dichotomies : on the one hand similitude and difference, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-durand/in-fact-it-seems-that-there-may-be-not-one-but-two-basic-dichotomies/) Gilbert Durand > [Those who consider the inessential to be essential And see the essential as inessential Don't reach the essential, Living in the field of wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-consider-the-inessential-to-be-essential-and-see-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More by Tod Machover > [Music seems to stimulate more parts of our mind than almost every other activity. It combines more parts of our minds. It synchronizes our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/music-seems-to-stimulate-more-parts-of-our-mind-than-almost-every/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I love the cello, I love the physical sense of an instrument that's about the size of your body that vibrates enough that even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-love-the-cello-i-love-the-physical-sense-of-an-instrument-that-s/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [You have to train your mind and your ears, but they're more like athletic skills. So, part of music you just have to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/you-have-to-train-your-mind-and-your-ears-but-they-re-more-like/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I went to the University of California, Santa Cruz for a year, which turned out to be a really vibrant, very intensive intellectual atmosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-went-to-the-university-of-california-santa-cruz-for-a-year-which/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [The basic idea of a hyper instrument is where the technology is built right into the instrument so that the instrument knows how it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/the-basic-idea-of-a-hyper-instrument-is-where-the-technology-is-built/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [Perhaps 25 to 50 years from now, I can design a piece of music, no so that it appeals to something common in millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/perhaps-25-to-50-years-from-now-i-can-design-a-piece-of-music-no-so/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I never liked opera growing up. I always liked chamber music or solo music even more than orchestral music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-never-liked-opera-growing-up-i-always-liked-chamber-music-or-solo/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I like the idea of imagining a sound and feeling a sound and then having it come out through your body, through an instrument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-like-the-idea-of-imagining-a-sound-and-feeling-a-sound-and-then/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [There were a lot of things happen in the mid-'80's that all of a sudden made it possible to do a lot of very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/there-were-a-lot-of-things-happen-in-the-mid-80-s-that-all-of-a/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [One of my interests in music has always been what it means, why it affects us the way it does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/one-of-my-interests-in-music-has-always-been-what-it-means-why-it/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [The Beatles realized that what they were making in the studio could never be performed. And they had already given up on performing because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/the-beatles-realized-that-what-they-were-making-in-the-studio-could/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I love Bach, I love Beethoven, I love Mozart, I love the Beatles, I love you know, Stockhausen, I love many things. But for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-love-bach-i-love-beethoven-i-love-mozart-i-love-the-beatles-i-love/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I almost never these days sit down with a CD or my laptop and just listen to a piece with a score. I probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-almost-never-these-days-sit-down-with-a-cd-or-my-laptop-and-just/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I listen to a lot of music that teenagers are listening to because I'm around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-listen-to-a-lot-of-music-that-teenagers-are-listening-to-because-i/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) > [I listen to new music by composers who are interesting to me. I listen to some; I don't know if I want to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/i-listen-to-new-music-by-composers-who-are-interesting-to-me-i-listen/) [Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) [Explore all 55 Tod Machover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain Opera' is an opera, even if it does not tell a story in the usual way. 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