“The beautiful is hidden from the eyes of those who are not searching for the truth. But the profound lack of spirituality of those people who see art and condemn it, the fact that they are neither willing nor ready to consider the meaning and aim of their existence in any higher sense, is often masked by the vulgarly simplistic cry, 'I don't like it!' 'It's boring!' It is not a point that one can argue; but it is like the utterance of a man born blind who is being told about a rainbow. He simply remains deaf to the pain undergone by the artist in order to share with others the truth he has reached.” – Andrei Tarkovsky

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.” – (Michelangelo, 1475-1564)

“Art is not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression of man’s emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity.” – Leo Tolstoy

The meaning of religious truth is hope. Philosophy seeks the truth, defining the meaning of human activity, the limits of human reason, the meaning of existence, even when the philosopher reaches the conclusion that existence is senseless, and human effort futile.

The allotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as example. The aim of art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul, rendering it capable of turning to good. – Andrei Tarkovsky

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou

“There is no confidence equal to Ignorance. Its only when you know something about something that you become timid and careful” - Orson Welles

“ The money making aspect of Film is what the business is about. The DEAL is the REAL product, and the film is an incidental byproduct of the DEAL”. - Alexander Mackendrick

“Creativity is not necessarily a talent. It is a way of operating. It is not connected to IQ. Studies show that the most creative were those that allowed themselves to get into a particular mood. Or to be specific: the ability to play. To be childlike. Not for purpose but for enjoyment.”  - John Cleese

Wu Wei is not at all about dull inaction. In fact, it refers to the dynamic, effortless, and unselfconscious state of mind of a person who is optimally active and effective. People in Wu-Wei feel as if they are doing nothing, while at the same time they might be creating a brilliant work of art, smoothly negotiating a complex social situation, or even bringing the entire world into harmonious order. For a person in Wu-Wei, proper and effective conduct follows as automatically as the body gives in to the seductive rhythm of a song. This state of harmony is both complex and holistic, involving as it does the integration of the body, the emotions, and the mind. If we have to translate it, wu-wei is probably best rendered as something like “effortless action” or “spontaneous action.”  - Edward Slingerland (Trying not to Try)