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Once the masterpiece has emerged, the lesser works surrounding it fall into place; and it then gives the impression of having been led up to and foreseeable, though actually it is inconceivable — or, rather, it can only be conceived of once it is there for us to see it.

— André Malraux Les voix du silence [Voices of Silence (1951)

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More quotes by André Malraux

The attempt to force human beings to despise themselves… is what I call hell.

La condition humaine [Man's Fate (1933)

History may clarify our understanding of the supreme work of art, but can never account for it completely; for the Time of art is not the same as the Time of history.

Les voix du silence [Voices of Silence (1951)

The human mind invents its Puss-in-Boots and its coaches that change into pumpkins at midnight because neither the believer nor the atheist is completely satisfied with appearances.

In ceasing to subordinate creative power to any supreme value, modern art has brought home to us the presence of that creative power throughout the whole history of art.

Les voix du silence [Voices of Silence (1951)

Freedom is not an exchange — it is freedom.

La condition humaine [Man's Fate (1933)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: André Malraux (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.