Epic Quotes

The ode lives upon the ideal, the epic upon the grandiose, the drama upon the real.
Victor Hugo

Real, Lives, Drama

The drama is complete poetry. The ode and the epic contain it only in germ; it contains both of them in a state of high development, and epitomizes both.
Victor Hugo

Poetry, High, Both

The style of ancient Egyptian art is transcendently clear, something 8-year-olds can recognize in an instant. Its consistency and codification is one of the most epic visual journeys in all art, one that lasts 30 dynasties spread over 3,000 years.
Jerry Saltz

Art, Style, Clear

Koons's work has always stood apart for its one-at-a-time perfection, epic theatricality, a corrupted, almost sick drive for purification, and an obsession with traditional artistic values.
Jerry Saltz

Work, Sick, Almost

Sci-fi films are the epic films of the day because we can no longer put 10,000 extras in the scene - but we can draw thousands of aliens with computers.
William Shatner

Computers, Put, Longer

Considered subjectively, philosophy always begins in the middle, like an epic poem.
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

Philosophy, Middle, Begins

Personally, I consider 'Titanic' the most brilliant example of successful counterprogramming; the film actually countered itself by embedding an epic chick flick within a classic disaster movie.
Diablo Cody

Successful, Film, Actually

As a southerner born after the epic events of the civil rights movement, I've always wondered how on earth people of good will could have conceivably lived with Jim Crow - with the daily degradations, the lynchings in plain sight, and, as the movement gathered force, with the fire hoses and the police dogs and the billy clubs.
Jon Meacham

Good, Daily, Fire

My darlings, if I can't write dark, epic music, I can't live!
Amy Lee

Music, Live, Dark

There is only one thing which can master the perplexed stuff of epic material into unity; and that is, an ability to see in particular human experience some significant symbolism of man's general destiny.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Experience, Human, Destiny

The art of storytelling is reaching its end because the epic side of truth, wisdom, is dying out.
Walter Benjamin

Truth, Art, Wisdom

All the men in my life have been two things: an epic and an epidemic.
Ethel Waters

An epic is not made by piecing together a set of heroic lays, adjusting their discrepancies and making them into a continuous narrative.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Together, Made, Making

But the development of human society does not go straight forward; and the epic process will therefore be a recurring process, the series a recurring series - though not in exact repetition.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Society, Forward, Human

With several different kinds of poetry to choose from, a man would decide that he would like best to be an epic poet, and he would set out, in conscious determination, on an epic poem.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Best, Poetry, Different

Feminine passion is to masculine as an epic is to an epigram.
Karl Kraus

Passion, Feminine, Masculine

I think President Obama is the most radical president this nation's ever seen. And in particular, I think he is a true believer in government control of the economy and of our everyday lives. In my judgment, we are facing what I consider to be the epic battle of our generation, quite literally the battle over whether we remain a free market nation.
Ted Cruz

Government, True, Battle

Your primary presumption that The Bridge was proffered as an epic has no substantial foundation. You know quite well that I doubt that our present stage of cultural development is so ordered yet as to provide the means or method for such an organic manifestation as that.
Hart Crane

Doubt, Means, Present

What works about fairy tales is that they endure, and the great thing about fairy tales is that you can explore big, epic things that you can't really explore in other situations.
Gary Ross

Great, Big, Works

Australia has suffered a decade of drought, epic floods, a Category 5 cyclone, and a plague of locusts. But just because Aussies have the biggest carbon footprint in the world, it doesn't mean they're stupid.
Jeff Goodell

Stupid, Mean, Biggest

By the general process of epic poetry, I mean the way this form of art has constantly responded to the profound needs of the society in which it was made.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Art, Society, Poetry

Epic poetry exhibits life in some great symbolic attitude. It cannot strictly be said to symbolize life itself, but always some manner of life.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Life, Great, Attitude

If epic poetry is a definite species, the sagas do not fall within it.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Poetry, Fall, Within

That is to say, epic poetry has been invented many times and independently; but, as the needs which prompted the invention have been broadly similar, so the invention itself has been.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Poetry, Times, Needs

The epic poet collaborates with the spirit of his time in the composition of his work. That is, if he is successful; the time may refuse to work with him, but he may not refuse to work with his time.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Work, Time, Successful

The epic poet has behind him a tradition of matter and a tradition of style; and that is what every other poet has behind him too; only, for the epic poet, tradition is rather narrower, rather more strictly compelling.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Him, Matter, Rather

The first epics were intended for recitation; the literary epic is meant to be read.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Read, Meant, Literary

The world knows of a vast stock of epic material scattered up and down the nations; sometimes its artistic value is as extraordinary as its archaeological interest, but not always.
Lascelles Abercrombie

Down, Sometimes, Value

I don't know what has happened to movies, but lately every movie is at least 20 minutes too long. It used to be that if you were three hours long it was because it was epic - a movie about Gandhi; something with very important subject matters.
Ethan Hawke

Movies, Important, Long

At the same time, it's a family story and more of an epic. I needed the third-person. I tried to give a sense that Cal, in writing his story, is perhaps inventing his past as much as recalling it.
Jeffrey Eugenides

Family, Time, Past

Share with your Friends

Everyone likes a good quote - don't forget to share.

Related Definition

Epic Definition

Geoffrey Chaucer

Popular Topics

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

Get Social with BrainyQuote

BrainyQuote Desktop

BrainyQuote Mobile

Site

Quote of the Day

Social

BQ on Pinterest

Syndication

Funny Quote Feed

Love Quote Feed

Nature Quote Feed

About Us