How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"You should have been a poet," she replied, smiling playfully, for Father delighted in words. "We'd starve, most assuredly."
"But, Arjumand, most poets write of pain, of misery, of want. I could only give verse to love, which most readers find a tedious subject. How could I write of hate, when I harbor none? Or of jealousy? Or of sorrow? No, it's better that the poets and philosophers debate these creations. They are not of my world."
"Nor of mine."
"Then let them write, my love, while we live." (1.128)
We have to agree to disagree with Father here. We mean, good old Billy Shakespeare, for one, would probably have a thing or two to say about artists who have been pretty darn successful writing poetry about love, don't you think?
Quote #2
"Do you see the moon, Jahanara? Imagine how it will illuminate your mother's tomb. It shall never, truly, be night here when the moon is full. No, it will be something amid night and day. And if a place exists on Earth that Paradise does touch, surely this will be it."
When I saw him next he was crying. (6.170)
Some people have very visceral reactions to beauty. The fact that Isa can make himself cry just by imagining the completed Taj Mahal is indicative of how much art means to him. To see what we mean, take a look at this and tell us you don't want to cry a little.
Quote #3
Though Isa was accepting of his fate, I sensed that his desire to create beauty stemmed from an old need to heal wounds. By building he constantly reminded himself of the love he felt for his parents. He believed they could see what he built, believed that his palaces and mosques made them smile. This conviction was the source of his happiness. (7.6)
People don't just create art because they're bored. Often, artists are driven by the need to create, and while everyone's motivations will be different, it's this drive that tends to set the great artists apart. Isa is compelled to create staggering architectural works in order to honor the memory of his parents, and in turn, he contributes to the creation of a cultural wonder.
On the other hand, sure, once in a while we get the itch to do a paint-by-number to honor the memory of our childhood, but it's not like we're going to get a call from MoMA anytime soon.