Erich Fromm on Art

“There is undoubtedly a difference between people who manipulate other people and people who create things.”

“On the whole, our modern ritual is impoverished and does not fulfill man's need for collective art and ritual.”

“The need for the creation of collective art and ritual on a nonclerical basis is at least as important as literacy and higher education.”

“In order to grow out of the receptive into the productive orientation, he [man] must relate himself to the world artistically and not only philosophically or scientifically.”

“A relatively primitive village in which there are still real feasts, common artistic shared expressions, and no literacy at all—is more advanced culturally and more healthy mentally than our educated, newspaper-reading radio-listening culture.”

“The transformation of an atomistic into a communitarian society depends on creating again the opportunity for people to sing together, walk together, dance together, admire together—together, and not, to use Riesman's succinct expression, as a member of a "lonely crowd."”

“"Collective art,"… is not an individual "leisure time" occupation, added to life, it is an integral part of life. It corresponds to a basic human need, and if this is not fulfilled, man remains as insecure and anxious as if the need for a meaningful thought picture of the world were unrealized.”