"Art has two constant, two unending concerns: It always meditates on death and thus always creates life. All great, genuine art resembles and continues the Revelation of St John.“


-Boris Pasternak

posted in death


Art has two constant, two unending concerns: It always meditates on death and thus always creates life. All great, genuine art resembles and continues the Revelation of St John.

Other Quotes You Might Like

Discover more inspiring quotes from our collection

"I come here to speak poetry. It will always be in the grass. It will also be necessary to bend down to hear it. It will always be too simple to be discussed in assemblies."

-Boris Pasternak

poetryView Quote
"Love is not weakness. It is strong. Only the sacrament of marriage can contain it."

-Boris Pasternak

marriageView Quote
"You fall into my arms. You are the good gift of destruction's path, When life sickens more than disease. And boldness is the root of beauty. Which draws us together."

-Boris Pasternak

beautyView Quote
"I don't like people who have never fallen or stumbled. Their virtue is lifeless and it isn't of much value. Life hasn't revealed its beauty to them."

-Boris Pasternak

beautyView Quote
"Literature is the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary."

-Boris Pasternak

artView Quote
"Love is not weakness. It is strong. Only the sacrament of marriage can contain it."

-Boris Pasternak

anniversaryView Quote

More Quotes About death

Explore other inspiring quotes in this category

"When we are dealing with death we are constantly being dragged down by the event: Humor diverts our attention and lifts our sagging spirits."

-Allen Klein

deathView Quote
"I start thinking about life after death. I've got to quit thinking about it because it's very deep. Very deep. Sometimes you start thinking about it, and you don't feel like you want to be alive, so I don't like to get all quiet."

-David Ortiz

deathView Quote
"What we think of as our sensitivity is only the higher evolution of terror in a poor dumb beast. We suffer for nothing. Our own death wish is our only real tragedy."

-Mario Puzo

deathView Quote
"So here is one of my theories on happiness: we cannot know if we have lived a truly happy life until the very end. This view of life and death was reinforced by my close witnessing of the buildup to the death of Philip Gould. Philip was without doubt my closest friend in politics. When he died, I felt like I had lost a limb."

-Alastair Campbell

deathView Quote
"I'm not on the run from anything and I'm not at all clear about what I'm running towards. But as some great writer put it, I want to be certain that when I arrive at death, I'm totally exhausted."

-Fiona Shaw

deathView Quote
"Planning to play: that's what saving for retirement is today - and it is antithetical to the nature of play, fully within the definition of work, and blissfully ignorant of the reality of death."

-John Thorn

deathView Quote