“If the artist did not know his goal, even the most miraculous of tools could not find it for him.”

— Arthur C. Clarke , book The City and the Stars

Source: The City and the Stars (1956), Chapter 2 (p. 13)

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Arthur C. Clarke 207

British science fiction writer, science writer, inventor, u… 1917–2008

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“If the resistances in one direction are impossible to overcome, then the artist’s invention and powers of expression turn to a goal the way to which is not obstructed, and it is very unusual for him even to be aware of the fact that his achievement is a substitute for the real thing. Even in the most liberal democracy the artist does not move with perfect freedom and unrestraint; even there he is restricted by innumerable considerations foreign to his art. The different measure of freedom may be of the greatest importance for him personally but in principle there is no difference between the dictates of a despot and the conventions of even the most liberal social order. If force in itself were contrary to the spirit of art, perfect works of art could arise only in a state of complete anarchy. But in reality the presuppositions on which the aesthetic quality of a work depends lie beyond the alternative presented by political freedom and compulsion.”

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“Life, even the hardest life, is the most beautiful, wonderful, and miraculous treasure in the world.”

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“I coulda got mad. But then I had to stop and think, well, what did he get in school? What did he get in his work experience? What did he get even from his own union, that gave him some tools to understand what he was seeing on that television?”

Utah Phillips (1935–2008) American labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller and poet

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“Krishna was once asked what was the most miraculous thing in all creation, and he replied, "That a man should wake each morning and believe deep in his heart that he will live forever, even though he knows that he is doomed.”

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“Whoever uses the spirit that is
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“An artist is he for whom the goal and center of life is to form his mind.”

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“We did not even know his name.”

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“Little did the artist know, who neglected his appearance in favor of his work, that the years would produce a breed that spent hours meticulously acquiring a neglected look to appear like an artist.”

Vanna Bonta (1958–2014) Italian-American writer, poet, inventor, actress, voice artist (1958-2014)

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“If the artist did not know his goal, even the most miraculous of tools could not find it for him.”

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