Art is pattern informed by sensibility.

— Herbert Read

I call religion a natural authority, but it has usually been conceived as a supernatural authority.

— Herbert Read

In History, stagnant waters, whether they be stagnant waters of custom or those of despotism, harbor 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.

— Herbert Read

It does not seem that the contradiction which exists between the aristocratic function of art and the democratic structure of modern society can ever be resolved.

— Herbert Read

Progress is measured by richness and intensity of experience - by a wider and deeper apprehension of the significance and scope of human existence.

— Herbert Read

Progress is measured by the degree of differentiation within a society.

— Herbert Read

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, intelligence and reason.

— Herbert Read

The characteristic political attitude of today is not one of positive belief, but of despair.

— Herbert Read

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

The slave may be happy, but happiness is not enough.

— Herbert Read