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.
change choices circles community integrity peace

About This Quote

About Herbert Read

Herbert Read was a 19th-century English anarchist and writer. Sir Herbert Edward Read, was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read was co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts. Read more on Wikipedia →

Themes

  • Change — Embracing transformation, growth, and new beginnings
  • Peace — The pursuit of harmony, reconciliation, and inner calm

More quotes by Herbert Read

“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...”
— Herbert Read
culture joy society

“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
Growth Law Balance

“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
Freedom Power World

“The slave may be happy, but happiness is not enough.”
— Herbert Read
Happy Be Happy Slave

“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,...”
— Herbert Read
Society Living Kind

“I call religion a natural authority, but it has usually been conceived as a supernatural authority.”
— Herbert Read
Authority Natural
View all quotes by Herbert Read →

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