Phil Ochs Quotes

The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.

Poetry, being supremely useless, by its very existence represents a protest against the so-called 'real world' of busy-ness and moneymaking, so we must embrace, salute and support our poets.

In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty.

Art is about the edges and the sharp corners and those places are not conducive to activism, which is about putting on a gloss.

We're here to bring beauty to the world and make a difference in this planet. That's what art forms are about.

Art matters.

I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty.

Think of things that can be created, not destroyed, and that bring beauty and joy.

Street art, of course, is political, because it's illegal, so the very act of doing it is an act of defiance.

Bob Marley was always ready to deal with the politics of what was happening in the world but, at the same time, not lose sight of the fact that he's a musician.

Nebraska people have the heart and power to create real beauty and art if they will only wake up and do it.

My work isn't overtly political, although it is sometimes painted in places where I don't have permission to paint, so that could be construed as a political statement.

Every revolutionary poet or lyricist has been criticised for something. If you come up with something new, there will always be people who will object to it.

Writing was a political act and poetry was a cultural weapon.

Jamming a coin into a monopoly newspaper box or liberating a billboard in the middle of the night can be a rather honest and joyful thing to do.

I think the best way to invite people into the conversation is to just create something beautiful out of love, and people naturally gravitate towards a new way of looking at fashion.

[Art] can speak its own language only as long as the images are alive which refuse and refute the established order.

Your life is a work of art, and in the end, the underlying theme of great art is bravery and hope and love.

Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance.

The arts can bring the heart to the aid of the head, the personal to the political.

All great art comes from a sense of outrage.

Rap is rock 'n' roll. Rock is when you push the buttons in the system; when you say, I'm not going along with what you're saying. That's rock, whether it's done with guitars, or it's done with just beats.

Art is our weapon. Culture is a form of resistance.

I suppose I'm saying that defiance is actually part of the lyric job