The slightest living thing answers a deeper need than all the works of man because it is transitory. It has an evanescence of life, or growth, or change: it passes, as we do, from one stage to the another, from darkness to darkness, into a distance where we, too, vanish out of sight. A work of art is static; and its value and its weakness lie in being so: but the tuft of grass and the clouds above it belong to our own travelling brotherhood.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the profound significance of even the tiniest living things compared to the creations of human beings. The transient nature of these living things, such as grass and clouds, mirrors our own existence. They go through stages of growth, change, and eventual disappearance, just like we do. In contrast, works of art are static and lack this ephemeral quality. While art has value, it also possesses limitations as it does not embody the same connection to our shared human experiences.

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