Suzy Menkes Quotes

We cannot help living in history. We can only fail to be aware of it.

A country, a style or an epoch are interesting only for the idea behind them.

Because for me, '60s pop music is amongst the most complicated or complex music because it has so many resonances which strike you. The music itself is often simple, but the way that I interpret it, or the way I think it's interpreted culturally, is very complex.

Music is part of history, and our history has lessons that cannot be separated from our greatest music.

Without a possibility of change in meanings human communication could not perform its present functions.

Pop culture is a reflection of social change, not a cause of social change.

Some people insist that hallowed professional teams should never change their nicknames.

Movies can tell us about our place, or lack of place, in our culture.

We say arts education is good for general education, but that's not the point. The arts are what great nations are remembered for. They are a mirror.

History is simply a piece of paper covered with print; the main thing is still to make history, not to write it.

History is the record of what one age finds worthy of note in another.

History is on every occasion the record of what one age finds worthy of note in another.

The context of history proved invaluable.

They redid 'Roots,' and everyone was saying, 'Oh, it shouldn't have been done.' I was like, 'It definitely should have been done.' Because it needs to be refurbished for the new generation so they can understand it.

One of the questions that has most bothered me in my reflections on culture is the question of kitsch. Just what is it? When did it begin? And why?

Wine needs to have a context in a social gathering to fulfill its historical place in this world.

Characters work really well when they're reflective of the times that they're operating in.

A car isn't a classic just because it's old. To be a classic, a car has to tell us something of its time.

Movies don't necessarily change culture. I don't know if we know for sure if movies change culture but we know for sure that they reflect culture.

All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes.

In some ways, certain books are more powerful by far than any battle.

Wars and elections are both too big and too small to matter in the long run.

I truly believe that music is the most powerful thing we have.

To watch your home change in front of you is surprising. But at the same time, going someplace like Mississippi, makes me appreciate even this.

Artists are often the barometers of society.