--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When one looks into the window of a store…" description: "\"When one looks into the window of a store which sells devotional art objects, one can't help wishing the iconoclasts had won.\" — W. H. Auden" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/w-h-auden-856_art_when-one-looks-into-the-window-of-a-stor_1742745.png" --- # When one looks into the window of a store which sells… ![“When one looks into the window of a store which sells devotional art objects, one can't help wishing the iconoclasts had won.” quote by W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/w-h-auden-856_art_when-one-looks-into-the-window-of-a-stor_1742745.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/w-h-auden-856_art_when-one-looks-into-the-window-of-a-stor_1742745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/w-h-auden-856_art_when-one-looks-into-the-window-of-a-stor_1742745.png) > “When one looks into the window of a store which sells devotional art objects, one can't help wishing the iconoclasts had won.” [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The desire for radical change clashes with the comfort of tradition in religious art markets. **In simple terms:** People wish for revolutionary change but settle for familiar icons. Key Takeaway Recognize the tension between tradition and innovation. Themes tradition iconoclasm art market religion Mood reflective critical Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - museum curators - religious communities - art collectors - political activists Key Concepts cultural critique aesthetic values Questions to Reflect On - What role should tradition play in modern society? - How can we balance reverence and reform? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize destruction without addressing practical consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Devotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devotional/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [I think that every artist dreams of renewing the forms which came before, but I think very few can be considered to have achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-every-artist-dreams-of-renewing-the-forms-which-came/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Familiarity is the most destructive of all iconoclasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/familiarity-is-the-most-destructive-of-all-iconoclasts/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [I love iconoclasts. I love individuals. I love people that are true to themselves, whatever the cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-robbins/i-love-iconoclasts-i-love-individuals-i-love-people-that-are-true-to/) [Tim Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-robbins/) > [Until you prove yourself, modeling the behavior of iconoclasts is dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/until-you-prove-yourself-modeling-the-behavior-of-iconoclasts-is/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [“But what becomes of the divinity when it reveals itself in icons, when it is simply incarnated in images as a visible theology? Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/but-what-becomes-of-the-divinity-when-it-reveals-itself-in-icons-when/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [We Jews are accused of being destroyers: whatever you put up, we tear down. It is true only in a relative sense. 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