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Confined Quotes

What gets boxed in, and what breaks free.

These confined quotes contrast material limits in art with the historical restrictions placed on entire groups of people. See Action quotes for more on pushing past boundaries.

Afghanistan's story, backwards or sideways, is not confined to the Americans or the English.

Quotes by Terry Glavin

Artists themselves are not confined, but their output is.

Quotes by Robert Smithson

Art is much more confined by materials than writing is.

Quotes by Molly Crabapple

Female poets in the 17th century had these very confined, restricted lives.

Quotes by Louisa Hall

Action Quotes

God is defined by Jesus but not confined to Jesus.

Quotes by Huston Smith

I have a horror of being in confined spaces.

Quotes by Hayley Mills

A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.

Quotes by Gloria Steinem

The primary theory embraced by the Bush administration to justify its War on Terror policies was that the 'battlefield' is no longer confined to identifiable geographical areas, but instead, the entire globe is now one big, unlimited 'battlefield.'

Quotes by Glenn Greenwald

The proportion of women attracted to the Islamic State is likely to be less than that in other militant organisations, such as the Tamil Tigers, the PKK, and the IRA. Undoubtedly, their roles within the Islamic State are much more...

Quotes by Deeyah Khan

Admiration Quotes

But the admiration for Jackson was by no means confined to his own soldiers and to his own section.

Quotes by Daniel H. Hill

Further study of central nervous action, however, finds central inhibition too extensive and ubiquitous to make it likely that it is confined solely to the taxis of antagonistic muscles.

Quotes by Charles Scott Sherrington

I don't think that people should be confined to any particular aesthetic.

Quotes by Alexis Ren

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of limits do confined quotes describe?
They cover material limits in art, historical restrictions on people's lives, and the gap between an artist's personal freedom and the constraints on their finished work.
Do any quotes mention historical restrictions on women?
Yes, one references female poets in the 17th century living confined, restricted lives, connecting artistic limits to broader social ones.
How is Afghanistan mentioned in this context?
One quote argues that Afghanistan's story is not confined only to American or English narratives, pushing back against a narrow historical framing.
Can an artist be free even if their work feels confined?
One quote makes exactly this distinction, arguing that artists themselves aren't confined even when their output ends up shaped by outside limits.
What other quotes explore boundaries and creativity?
Try Aesthetic quotes for more on artistic judgment, or Action quotes for the opposite idea of breaking free.

One recurring idea is that the artist may be free even when their output is not, a distinction worth sitting with. Read Admiration or Aesthetic quotes for more on how art gets judged.