In its most archaic sense, theatre is the capacity possessed by human beings—and not by animals—to observe themselves in action. Humans are capable of seeing themselves in the act of seeing, of thinking their emotions, of being moved by their thoughts. They can see themselves here and imagine themselves there; they can see themselves today and imagine themselves tomorrow. This is why humans are able to identify (themselves and others) and not merely to recognise." - Meaning and context.">
QuotesCosmos
p. xxvi
“

In its most archaic sense, theatre is the capacity possessed by human beings—and not by animals—to observe themselves in action. Humans are capable of seeing themselves in the act of seeing, of thinking their emotions, of being moved by their thoughts. They can see themselves here and imagine themselves there; they can see themselves today and imagine themselves tomorrow. This is why humans are able to identify (themselves and others) and not merely to recognise.

— Augusto Boal

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "In its most archaic sense, theatre is the capacity possessed by human beings—and not by animals—to observe themselves in action. Humans are capable of seeing themselves in the act of seeing, of thinking their emotions, of being moved by their thoughts. They can see themselves here and imagine themselves there; they can see themselves today and imagine themselves tomorrow. This is why humans are able to identify (themselves and others) and not merely to recognise." in the context of "p. xxvi" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Augusto Boal" (Quotes, Games for Actors and non-Actors (1992)) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Augusto Boal#themselves#imagine#humans#seeing#possessed#beingsand#animalsto#recognise#capacity#thinking#emotions
Augusto Boal

About Augusto Boal

Augusto Boal (16 March 1931 – 2 May 2009) was a Brazilian author, playwright and director who served one term as city councillor in Rio de Janeiro from 1993 to 1997. He is most well known as the founder of Theatre of the Oppressed, a dramatic form of popular education, now used by social movements in more than 70 countries.