A writer is justly called 'universal' when he is understood within the limits of his civilization, though that be bounded by a country or an age. George Edward Woodberry ageboundcall Change image and share on social
Mankind is the grandest and surest artist of all, and history as it clarifies is, in pure fact, an artistic process, a creation in its fullness of the beautiful soul. George Edward Woodberry artistartisticbeautiful Change image and share on social
It is not meant that the artist, in arriving at truth, must follow the way of the scientist, or, in stating it, the way of the philosopher. George Edward Woodberry arriveartistfollow Change image and share on social
Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure. George Edward Woodberry baddefeatfailure Change image and share on social
Much of a poet's experience takes place in imagination only; the life he tells is oftenest the life that he strongly desires to live, and the power, the purity and height of his utterance may not seldom be the greater because experience here uses the voices of desire. George Edward Woodberry desireexperiencegreat share on social
Is there not an art, a music, and a stream of words that shalt be life, the acknowledged voice of life? George Edward Woodberry acknowledgeartlife Change image and share on social
The Greeks, those originators of the intellectual life, fixed for us the idea of the poet. He was a divine man; more sacred than the priest, who was at best an intermediary between men and the gods, but in the poet the god was present and spoke. George Edward Woodberry divinefixgod share on social
Aesthetic freedom is like free speech; it is, indeed, a form of free speech. George Edward Woodberry aestheticformfree Change image and share on social
Art has a double visage: it looks before and after. Romance is its forward-looking face. The germ of growth is in romanticism. Formalism, on the other hand, consolidates tradition; gleans what has been gained and makes it facile to the hand or the mind; economizes the energy of genius. George Edward Woodberry artconsolidatedouble share on social
Seasonal changes, as it were, take place in history, when there is practically an almost universal death, a falling of the foliage of the tree of life. Such were the intervals between the ancient and mediaeval time, the mediaeval and the modern. George Edward Woodberry ancientdeathfall share on social