Logo - Feel The Words

Obscure Quotes

On the unknown, the overlooked, and what stays hidden.

These quotes explore obscurity in different senses, from a musician's preference for obscure tunes over well-known standards, including a couple of Duke Ellington pieces, to existence itself described as footnotes to a vast, unfinished masterpiece. Readers may also enjoy our Artist quotes.

A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years.

Quotes by Wendell Willkie

Existence is a series of footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece.

Quotes by Vladimir Nabokov

I like what's obscure.

Quotes by Steven Klein

More people are troubled by what is plain in Scripture than by what is obscure.

Quotes by Roy L. Smith

Always Quotes

I do very few standards. Hardly any. Other people's tunes that I do are usually obscure tunes, for the most part, although I do a couple of Duke Ellington tunes that are well known.

Quotes by Mose Allison

The attacks of September 11 persuaded many Americans that what might seem to be obscure or distant potential threats can very quickly materialize and it therefore makes sense to attend to them even before they become urgent.

Quotes by Michael Mandelbaum

Obscure as still remains the origin of that 'genre' of romance to which the tales before us belong, there is little doubt that their models, if not their originals, were once extant at Constantinople.

Quotes by Joseph Jacobs

It flourished with the Saracens, and suffered in the obscure and fanatical days of the Middle Ages.

Quotes by Isaac Mayer Wise

I always thought of myself as a very, very obscure artist.

Quotes by Hozier

Artist Quotes

Never be so brief as to become obscure.

Quotes by Hosea Ballou

In labouring to be concise, I become obscure.

Quotes by Horace

It is when I struggle to be brief that I become obscure.

Quotes by Horace

Simplicity, for reasons that are a little bit obscure, is almost not pursued, at least in the academic world.

Quotes by George M. Whitesides

Dave Van Ronk is not an obscure figure. He's the biggest figure on an obscure scene, playing a kind of niche music that we knew and liked.

Quotes by Ethan Coen

Because Quotes

The obscure we see eventually. The completely obvious, it seems, takes longer.

Quotes by Edward R. Murrow

In one case out of a hundred a point is excessively discussed because it is obscure; in the ninety-nine remaining it is obscure because it is excessively discussed.

Edgar Allan Poe

Be obscure clearly.

Quotes by E. B. White

Hardship makes the world obscure.

Quotes by Don DeLillo

Human affairs are so obscure and various that nothing can be clearly known.

Quotes by Desiderius Erasmus

Become Quotes

To love it too much is to obscure and not see what is there.

Quotes by Dennis Potter

Frequently Asked Questions

What do these obscure quotes cover?
They touch on hidden meaning, lesser-known art, and the uncertain origins of ideas and genres.
Why do people search for obscure quotes?
People search for these when reflecting on things overlooked or under-appreciated, or when interested in lesser-known art and ideas.
What does the 'catchword can obscure analysis' quote mean?
It warns that a memorable slogan or phrase can substitute for real understanding for a long time, delaying proper analysis of an issue for decades.
What does the 'footnotes to a vast, obscure, unfinished masterpiece' quote mean?
It offers a poetic view of existence as a minor commentary on something far larger and still incomplete, casting life's mysteries as part of an unfinished whole.
What does the quote about obscure tunes and Duke Ellington mean?
It describes a preference for performing lesser-known songs rather than popular standards, including a couple of pieces by Duke Ellington, valuing discovery over familiarity.

Other entries warn that a good catchword can obscure real analysis for decades, and trace the obscure, uncertain origins of an entire literary genre. Together they treat obscurity as something to be wary of as well as something to appreciate.