--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was interested by the idea that artists…" description: "\"I was interested by the idea that artists working in a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy are secretly and slightly shamefully envied by ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/tom-stoppard-437_art_i-was-interested-by-the-idea-that-artist_2490238.png" --- # I was interested by the idea that artists working in a… ![“I was interested by the idea that artists working in a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy are secretly and slightly shamefully envied by artists who work in freedom. They have the gratification of intense interest: the authorities want to put them in jail, while there are younger…” quote by Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/tom-stoppard-437_art_i-was-interested-by-the-idea-that-artist_2490238.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/tom-stoppard-437_art_i-was-interested-by-the-idea-that-artist_2490238.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/tom-stoppard-437_art_i-was-interested-by-the-idea-that-artist_2490238.png) > “I was interested by the idea that artists working in a totalitarian dictatorship or tsarist autocracy are secretly and slightly shamefully envied by artists who work in freedom. They have the gratification of intense interest: the authorities want to put them in jail, while there are younger readers for whom what they write is pure oxygen.” [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote observes that artists under oppressive regimes are envied by those in freedom because their work carries heightened risk and urgency, making it more compelling. **In simple terms:** Repressed artists are envied for their daring work. Key Takeaway Recognize the power of risk in art. Themes oppression envy artistic risk Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - literary analysis - political discourse - educational curricula Key Concepts political art censorship creative urgency Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do free artists have? - How does risk shape artistic value? A Different Perspective Freedom can also foster complacency in art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-work-435441/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Autocracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autocracy/) [Autocracy Secretly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autocracy-secretly-957782/) [Dictatorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship/) [Dictatorship Tsarist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictatorship-tsarist-957781/) [Envied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envied/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Jail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail/) [Oxygen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxygen/) [Pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pure/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totalitarian/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Working Totalitarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-totalitarian-957780/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [But there is a big difference in working for the West and working for a totalitarian state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/but-there-is-a-big-difference-in-working-for-the-west-and-working-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [As artists, sometimes our work is chaotic; we don't easily communicate our needs to other people in a way that they understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalup-linzy/as-artists-sometimes-our-work-is-chaotic-we-don-t-easily-communicate/) [Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalup-linzy/) > [Maybe the way we have learned to look has changed in the last 25 years, and the exotic is much more acceptable. 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It's great for fans to see, like, Ludacris came out to our show in Atlanta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-aldean/i-think-it-s-important-for-artists-to-work-together-it-s-great-for/) [Jason Aldean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-aldean/) > [Pop artists work really hard, and they might not work for the same things that indie artists do, but they're still musicians, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitski/pop-artists-work-really-hard-and-they-might-not-work-for-the-same/) [Mitski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitski/) ## More by Tom Stoppard > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. 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For every thousand people there's nine hundred doing the work, ninety doing well, nine doing good, and one lucky bastard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/what-is-an-artist-for-every-thousand-people-there-s-nine-hundred/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/dying-is-not-romantic-and-death-is-not-a-game-which-will-soon-be-over/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I'm not interested in clothes; I just like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-m-not-interested-in-clothes-i-just-like-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [For 10 years of my life, 3 times a day, I thanked the Lord for what I was about to receive and thanked him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/for-10-years-of-my-life-3-times-a-day-i-thanked-the-lord-for-what-i/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [No matter how imperfect things are, if you've got a free press everything is correctable, and without it everything is concealable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/no-matter-how-imperfect-things-are-if-you-ve-got-a-free-press/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [We must be born with an intuition of mortality. Before we know the word for it. Before we know that there are words. Out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/we-must-be-born-with-an-intuition-of-mortality-before-we-know-the/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Eternity's a terrible thought. I mean, where's it all going to end?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/eternity-s-a-terrible-thought-i-mean-where-s-it-all-going-to-end/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [There is truth and falsehood in a comma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/there-is-truth-and-falsehood-in-a-comma/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) [Explore all 559 Tom Stoppard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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