Do you know the reason why poetry and philosophy are nothing but dead-letter nowadays? It is because they have severed themselves from life. In Greec… - André Gide

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Do you know the reason why poetry and philosophy are nothing but dead-letter nowadays? It is because they have severed themselves from life. In Greece, ideas went hand-in-hand with life; so that the artist's life was already a poetic realisation, the philosopher's life a putting into action of his philosophy; in this way, as both philosophy and poetry took part in life, instead of remaining unacquainted with each other, philosophy provided food for poetry, and poetry gave expression to philosophy - and the result was admirably persuasive. Nowadays beauty no longer acts; action no longer desires to be beautiful; and wisdom works in a sphere apart.

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About André Gide

André Paul Guillaume Gide (22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Alternative Names: André Paul Guillaume Gide Andre Gide Andre Paul Guillaume Gide
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Shorter versions of this quote

Do you know why our poetry today and especially our philosophy are such dead issues? Because they've cut themselves off from life. Now, Greece idealized on life's own level: an artist's life was already a poetic achievement; a philosopher's life was an enactment of his philosophy; and when they were a part of life that way, instead of ignoring each other, philosophy could nourish poetry, poetry express philosophy, and together achieve an admirable persuasiveness. Today beauty no longer acts; and action no longer bothers about being beautiful; and wisdom operates on the sidelines.

Additional quotes by André Gide

Seize from every moment it's unique novelty, and do not prepare your joys.

La joie est peut être aussi vive ; mais elle entre ne moins avant; elle éveille un écho moins retentissant dans mon coeur. Ah ! Pouvoir ignorer que la vie rétrécit devant moi sa promesse... Mon coeur ne bat pas moins fort qu'à vingt ans.

بکوش عظمت در نگاه تو باشد در آنچکه می نگری

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