Quote of the Day (Rebecca West, on Art as a Way to ‘Cultivate Annoyance With Inessentials’)

“For only through art can we cultivate annoyance with inessentials, powerful and exasperated reactions against ugliness, a ravenous beauty; and these are the true guardians of the soul.” —British novelist, biographer, journalist and critic Rebecca West (1892-1983), “The Duty of Harsh Criticism,” The New Republic, November 7, 1915

(Photograph of Rebecca West by Madame Yevonde.)