"An artist’s ideal is what matters most, because it is always the ideal that is reflected in a work. Even in works that are less than perfect, those who have a high ideal inevitably introduce something good and beautiful. The perfect execution of a work does not attest to a high ideal; it reveals only the effort involved, the expertise, the technique. Sometimes an artist produces a work which has been inspired by higher realms but is poorly executed. This doesn’t matter if he has a high ideal and perseveres; the technique will come. Most people haven’t understood this and give priority to talent without concern for how it is used or what it expresses. Without a high ideal, talent can be the downfall of an artist. This is why he must give priority to a high ideal; he must sustain and nourish it, and the talent will follow. An artist who abandons his ideal, however, will sooner or later lose his talent. People’s creative potential, whether in the sciences, in the arts or even in everyday life, depends entirely on their ideal."

illuminating the imagination