Never can the innate power of a work be hidden or locked away. A work of art can be forgotten by time; it can be forbidden and rejected but the elemental will always prevail over the ephemeral.
Meaning of the quote
The quote means that the true power and meaning of an artistic work can never be fully hidden or kept away from people. Even if a work of art is forgotten over time or banned by others, its core essence and importance will always win out over things that are temporary or fleeting. The essential nature of great art will always shine through, no matter what happens to it.
More quotes from Stefan Zweig
Often the presence of mind and energy of a person remote from the spotlight decide the course of history for centuries to come.
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One must be convinced to convince, to have enthusiasm to stimulate the others.
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In history, the moments during which reason and reconciliation prevail are short and fleeting.
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Every wave, regardless of how high and forceful it crests, must eventually collapse within itself.
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Fate is never too generous even to its favorites. Rarely do the gods grant a mortal more than one immortal deed.
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The idea of Jewish unity, of a plan, an organization, unfortunately exists only in the brains of Hitler and Streicher.
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Today, for a Jew who writes in the German language, it is totally impossible to make a living. In no group do I see as much misery, disappointment, desperation and hopelessness as in Jewish writers who write in German.
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The free, independent spirit who commits himself to no dogma and will not decide in favor of any party has no homestead on earth.
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Only the person who has experienced light and darkness, war and peace, rise and fall, only that person has truly experienced life.
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Only the misfortune of exile can provide the in-depth understanding and the overview into the realities of the world.
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When they are preparing for war, those who rule by force speak most copiously about peace until they have completed the mobilization process.
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Never can the innate power of a work be hidden or locked away. A work of art can be forgotten by time; it can be forbidden and rejected but the elemental will always prevail over the ephemeral.
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In history as in human life, regret does not bring back a lost moment and a thousand years will not recover something lost in a single hour.
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It would be foolhardy to count on the conscience of the world.
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There is no sense to a sacrifice after you come to feel that it is a sacrifice.
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Now I am discovering the world once more. England has widened my horizon.
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