Hermann Hesse on art:

»About art I know, that every true poem or image, every bar of true music is being born exactly, exactly the same - from life and suffering and is repaied with blood, now or in the past times, it has always been like that. Nothing has changed in the world besides that what was always »over and above« and easy to change: public opinion and morale. Luckily man can, if working seriously, protect himself against that completely. It costs him some sacrifices and asceticism but it's worth.«