"Criticism is properly the rod of divination: a hazel switch for the discovery of buried treasure, not a birch twig for the castigation of offenders."

Arthur Symons Literature See all quotes by Arthur Symons →

React to this quote

More by Arthur Symons

See all

“All art is a form of artifice.For in art there can be no prejudices.”

“Without charm there can be no fine literature, as there can be no perfect flower without fragrance.”

“The mystic too full of God to speak intelligibly to the world.”

“My soul is like this cloudy, flaming opal ring.”

“What we ask of him is, that he should find out for us more than we can find out for ourselves.... He must have the passion of a lover.”

“He knew that the whole mystery of beauty can never be comprehended by the crowd, and that while clearness is a virtue of style, perfect explicitness is not a necessary virtue.”

Resonant Thoughts

"We're used to the idea that women aren't represented in our culture and media and politics and films. The idea that this extended to what was sold as objective - the idea of medicine and science, that…"

— Caroline Criado-Perez

Journalism1984

#science

"Critical philosophy implies above all historical criticism. It dissolves the rigid, unhistorical, natural appearance of social institutions; it reveals their historical origins."

— György Lukács

Philosophy1885–1971

#philosophy

"Profound skepticism is favorable to conventions, because it doubts that the criticism of conventions is any truer than they are."

— George Santayana

Literature1863–1952

#truth

"The demand from is that we should respect not just the person qua person but also his or her beliefs. It’s a demand that undermines individual autonomy, both by constraining the right of people to cri…"

— Kenan Malik

Literature1960

#philosophy