My weakness has always been to prefer the large intention of an unskilful artist to the trivial intention of an accomplished one: in other words, I am more interested in the high ideas of a feeble executant than in the high execution of a feeble thinker.

Thomas Hardy
About This Quote

In this quote, Edmond Rostand was answering a question about his preference for the work of a great artist over the work of a less talented one. Rostand had been discussing the careers of two poets, Ronsard and Alfred de Musset. The question was whether Rostand preferred the great ideas of a great poet or the simple execution of a lesser one. Rostand expressed his opinion that the work of a great artist was worth more than that of a lesser one, even if he were to have to look at it twice because he would be disappointed in its execution.

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