"Nature fires the philosopher like an arrow into people, not aiming, yet hoping the arrow sticks somewhere. Time and again she is disappointed and vexed … The artist is related to the lovers of his art as a great gun to a flock of sparrows. It is an act of simplicity to start an avalanche so as to sweep away a little snow, to strike a man dead so as to kill a fly on his nose. The artist and the philosopher are arguments against the purposiveness of nature as regards to its means, though they are also fine proofs as to the wisdom of its ends. They strike only a few, whereas they ought to strike everybody—and even the few are not struck with a force equalling that with which philosopher and artist send their shot. It is sad to have to assess art as cause and art as effect so disproportionately: how tremendous as cause, how lame and hollow as effect! No doubt the artist creates his work according to the will of nature, for the good of other men. Nonetheless he knows that none of these other men will ever love and understand his work as he loves and understands it."

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- Friedrich Nietzsche, “Schopenhauer as Educator”