The expressions of those moving about a picture gallery show ill-concealed disappointment that they only find pictures there.

Walter Benjamin
About This Quote

It is a well-known fact that people look at a picture and then say something about it. When they see a picture of a boat, they might say, “That looks like a sailboat.” But when they see a picture of a beaver, they say, “That looks like an animal.” In the same way, people who look at a picture of a painting will say something about it. They will wonder whether the artist was able to convey the mood he wished to have the audience feel. He was not able to do it or he would have put more feeling into his painting or made it more beautiful.

This shows that a person who looks at a picture and says something about it is not seeing what he is really looking at. He is only saying what he thinks he sees.

Source: One Way Street And Other Writings

Some Similar Quotes
  1. I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe
  2. You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth. - William W. Purkey
  3. This life is what you make it. No matter what, you're going to mess up sometimes, it's a universal truth. But the good part is you get to decide how you're going to mess it up. Girls will be your friends - they'll act like... - Marilyn Monroe
  4. When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable. - Jess C. Scott
  5. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears." After all this time?"" Always, " said Snape. - J.k. Rowling
More Quotes By Walter Benjamin
  1. The only way of knowing a person is to love them without hope.
  2. Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector's passion borders on the chaos of memories.
  3. Truth resists being projected into the realm of knowledge.
  4. Death is the sanction of everything the story-teller can tell. He has borrowed his authority from death.
  5. Writers are really people who write books not because they are poor, but because they are dissatisfied with the books which they could buy but do not like.
Related Topics