What do drawings mean to me? I really don’t know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else in a way that I don’t think happens with any other activity.
JOHN BERGER
JOHN BERGER
John Berger on absorb
John Berger172 quotes“What do drawings mean to me? I really don’t know. The activity absorbs me. I forget everything else in a way that I don’t think happens with any other activity.”
More from John Berger
When we read a story, we inhabit it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls.
John BergerJohn Berger Every authentic poem contributes to the labor of poetry… to bring together what life has separated or violence has torn apart…
John BergerJohn Berger A drawing is an autobiographical record of one’s discovery of an event – either seen, remembered or imagined. A ‘finished’ work is an attempt to construct an event in itself.
John BergerJohn Berger Deep in the nature of theatre is a sense of ritual. The cinema, by contrast, transports its audience individually, singly, out of the theatre towards the unknown.
John BergerJohn Berger There’s the artist’s intimacy and truthfulness to himself, but an equal intimacy to the Other [the one drawn].
John BergerJohn Berger The human imagination… has great difficulty in living strictly within the confines of a materialist practice or philosophy.
John BergerJohn Berger To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognised for oneself.
John BergerJohn Berger What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and not by a but.
John BergerJohn Berger A cigarette is a breathing space. It makes a parenthesis.
John BergerJohn Berger The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled. Each evening we see the sun set.
John BergerJohn Berger Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.
John BergerJohn Berger Compassion opposes this order and is therefore best thought of as being in some way supernatural.
John BergerJohn Berger (The sight of it as an object stimulates the use of it as an object.) Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. To be naked is to be without disguises.
John BergerJohn Berger What distinguished man from animals was the human capacity for symbolic thought, the capacity which was inseparable from the development of language in which words were not mere signals, but signifiers of something other than themselves.
John BergerJohn Berger Capitalism survives by forcing the majority, whom it exploits, to define their own interests as narrowly as possible.
John BergerJohn Berger We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
John BergerJohn Berger
Original quotes
From our community writers
Poetry is the voice of the soul and the inspiration of the heart.
Teresa PeresTeresa Peres But it was now time for her to go away-to find someone who could show her what happiness was.
Lang LeavLang Leav Just because you haven’t seen how wonderful, beautiful, and special she is, doesn’t mean no one else will.
Norah RoseNorah Rose A memory is a star or a stain.
Aneena BijuAneena Biju Love her, but don’t forget to leave her wild.
Little PaulsonLittle Paulson Do your own thing and live your way of happiness.
Emily BockEmily Bock I’ve experienced departure far too much to have the courage and call anyone my own.
Mira R. AridiMira R. Aridi More often than I am not, all I need is the rise of my own lungs – I am already complete.
Shelby EnsignShelby Ensign
Meet the writers
More on absorb
It makes you more choosy and also more receptive to absorb anything for 15 seconds.
Alan PalomoAlan Palomo Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
Alan PerlisAlan Perlis The ability to absorb a book and make someone else’s words and story your own was exactly was I was doing on stage.
Alan KingAlan King Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.
Tom WaitsTom Waits And Egypt? What is Egypt strenght?her resilience ?her ability to absorb poeple and events into the pores of her being? is that true or is it just a consolation ?
Ahdaf SoueifAhdaf Soueif Simply performing devotional activities will not impart devotion to others but our consciousness should be absorbed.
Radhanath SwamiRadhanath Swami The purpose of art is to reflect new emerging values and to define the new heroes and heroines so that people can absorb them into their perceptions.
Edward de BonoEdward de Bono Her soul absorbs all beauty in nature and then reflects all within.
Vincent JamesVincent James