14 Quotes & Sayings By Herbert Read

Herbert Read (1904-1975) was a British poet and critic, and a leading figure in the modernist movement of the 1920s and 1930s. Herbert Read grew up in Britain's countryside, and his earliest efforts at poetry were influenced by the manner of the medieval troubadours. He began publishing verse in 1922, becoming one of the most prominent poets of his day. He was an early champion of Ezra Pound and T Read more

S. Eliot, and the two corresponded with each other for many years on literary matters. In his later years, Read was known for his opposition to fascism and became a significant voice in the struggle against Nazism in England.

1
In History, stagnant waters, whether they be stagnant waters of custom or those of despotism, harbour no life; life is dependent on the ripples created by a few eccentric individuals. In homage to that life and vitality, the community has to brave certain perils and must countenance a measure of heresy. One must live dangerously if one wants to live at all. Herbert Read
2
You cannot impose a culture from the top--it must come from under. It grows out of the soil, out of the people, out of their daily life and work. It is a spontaneous expression of their joy of life, of their joy in work, and if this does not exist, the culture will not exist. Joy is a spiritual quality, an impalpable quality: that too cannot be forced. It must be an inevitable state of mind, born of the elementary processes of life, a by-product of natural human growth. Herbert Read
3
The characteristic political attitude of today is not one of positive belief, but of despair. Herbert Read
4
The most general law in nature is equity-the principle of balance and symmetry which guides the growth of forms along the lines of the greatest structural efficiency. Herbert Read
5
To realize that new world we must prefer the values of freedom and equality above all other values - above personal wealth, technical power and nationalism. Herbert Read
6
The slave may be happy, but happiness is not enough. Herbert Read
7
The assumption is that the right kind of society is an organic being not merely analogous to an organic being, but actually a living structure with appetites and digestions, instincts and passions, intelligence and reason. Herbert Read
8
I call religion a natural authority, but it has usually been conceived as a supernatural authority. Herbert Read
9
The worth of a civilization or a culture is not valued in the terms of its material wealth or military power, but by the quality and achievements of its representative individuals - its philosophers, its poets and its artists. Herbert Read
10
Progress is measured by richness and intensity of experience - by a wider and deeper apprehension of the significance and scope of human existence. Herbert Read
11
Art is pattern informed by sensibility. Herbert Read
12
Progress is measured by the degree of differentiation within a society. Herbert Read
13
It does not seem that the contradiction which exists between the aristocratic function of art and the democratic structure of modern society can ever be resolved. Herbert Read