--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Works of art should be stimulating. They…" description: "\"Works of art should be stimulating. They should wake people up rather than acting like a sedative.\" — Tod Machover" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/tod-machover-12406_acting_works-of-art-should-be-stimulating-they_2938547.jpg" --- # Works of art should be stimulating. They should wake… ![“Works of art should be stimulating. They should wake people up rather than acting like a sedative.” quote by Tod Machover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/tod-machover-12406_acting_works-of-art-should-be-stimulating-they_2938547.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/tod-machover-12406_acting_works-of-art-should-be-stimulating-they_2938547.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/tod-machover-12406_acting_works-of-art-should-be-stimulating-they_2938547.jpg) > “Works of art should be stimulating. They should wake people up rather than acting like a sedative.” [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. Art should provoke thought and awaken awareness rather than soothe complacency. **In simple terms:** Art should awaken, not lull. Key Takeaway Create work that challenges. Themes creativity provocation awareness Mood stimulating challenging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - public installations - educational curricula Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology of perception Questions to Reflect On - How can art balance provocation with accessibility? - What responsibilities do artists have to society? A Different Perspective May alienate audiences seeking comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/) ## Related quotes > [She got the set of lips like a sedative. Every time I kiss, its like medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-mccoy/she-got-the-set-of-lips-like-a-sedative-every-time-i-kiss-its-like/) [Travis McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-mccoy/) > [And he was like "The sedative in the blood, blah, blah, four hours, blah, blah, nerdspeak, geektalk -" -Abby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/and-he-was-like-the-sedative-in-the-blood-blah-blah-four-hours-blah/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Let's do something to wake these people up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/let-s-do-something-to-wake-these-people-up/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) > [When you first wake up and people start asking you questions...and you like WTF man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidea/when-you-first-wake-up-and-people-start-asking-you-questions-and-you/) [Sidea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidea/) > [“It's a terrible thing to have to wake four people, all older than yourself and all very tired, for the purpose of telling them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-have-to-wake-four-people-all-older-than/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“I want to wake people up and make them care about being alive in this universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-want-to-wake-people-up-and-make-them-care-about-being-alive-in-this/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [When I was younger, I felt it was my duty to wake people up. I thought poetry was asleep. I thought rock 'n' roll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-younger-i-felt-it-was-my-duty-to-wake-people-up-i-thought/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Life actually is this mystery and gift. And every moment of it can be full of real radical joy and wakefulness. And for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/life-actually-is-this-mystery-and-gift-and-every-moment-of-it-can-be/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [We need to keep ringing the bell, wake people up to get our democracy together. Farm workers are like a symbol, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/we-need-to-keep-ringing-the-bell-wake-people-up-to-get-our-democracy/) [Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/) > [I think being an optimist and getting things done is a way to wake up other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/i-think-being-an-optimist-and-getting-things-done-is-a-way-to-wake-up/) [Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/) > [There's a purpose for me. And my purpose is to wake people up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/there-s-a-purpose-for-me-and-my-purpose-is-to-wake-people-up/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [There is a job to be doneto record the truth. I want to wake people up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/there-is-a-job-to-be-doneto-record-the-truth-i-want-to-wake-people-up/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [Leaders must wake people out of inertia. They must get people excited about something they've never seen before, something that does not yet exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/leaders-must-wake-people-out-of-inertia-they-must-get-people-excited/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) > [It's a very important issue to me, trying to wake people up to the fact that we'd better take better care of our planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-fogelberg/it-s-a-very-important-issue-to-me-trying-to-wake-people-up-to-the/) [Dan Fogelberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-fogelberg/) > [ We heard the roar \[for Nicklaus\] on 15 and then another and another.By that time, Nicky \[Price\] and I were back there with about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-norman/we-heard-the-roar-for-nicklaus-on-15-and-then-another-and-another-by/) [Greg Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-norman/) ## 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/) > [My message is to forget about dichotomies. The 'Brain Opera' is an opera, even if it does not tell a story in the usual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-machover/my-message-is-to-forget-about-dichotomies-the-brain-opera-is-an-opera/) [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/) [Explore all 55 Tod Machover quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-machover/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Works of art should be stimulating. 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