5 Unforgettable Phrases By André Breton

There are many phrases by André Breton, the famous father of surrealism in the world, that have made history. This doctor by profession went down in history for his poems, his essays, his novels and, of course, for his theoretical contributions to surrealism.

There are several phrases by André Breton that are still quoted and repeated today, as a symbol of an era and an intellectual position. The “surrealist manifestos” served as a beacon for a whole generation, who saw in them a new way of looking at the world.

The thought of the extraordinary French artist was a mixture of psychoanalysis, Marxism and anarchy. All this combination resulted in a unique artist, who was praised by great men of his time, such as Octavio Paz and Salvador Dalí. These are some of the phrases of André Breton that are most remembered.

1. Wealth, a paradoxical matter

This is one of the most ingenious phrases of André Breton about the paradoxes of culture. It shows the despicable reality around the concept of material wealth. In a way, it denounces the deep void that surrounds this concept.

Indeed, wealth is a transitory reality that, in one way or another, is always surrounded by nothingness. As Breton says, if it is not spent it is the same as having nothing. And, if it is wasted, it also becomes trivial and extinct.

2. Crazy people and imagination

In this sentence André Breton associates three concepts: madness , imagination and transgression. The benchmark is the rules. These are the ones that serve as a starting point to define what is insanity and what is not.

Whoever breaks certain rules is classified as “crazy.” But who says that those who comply with the rules cannot also be qualified that way? This is one of André Breton’s phrases that shows that dialectic between what is called “reasonable”, because it is established, and what is “unreasonable” because it departs from what is prescribed.

3. One of André Breton’s phrases about rebellion

In this sentence André Breton shows his spirit of eternal revolutionary, committed to the processes of change. However, instead of linking the issue to political aspects, he rather associates it with great values.

This French poet was always torn between political militancy and creative freedom. Finally, he opted for the latter and that is why his thinking was oriented more towards those great internal and daily transformations than towards the great changes in the power systems.

4. This is surrealism

The phrase, obviously, is a metaphor for the deepest surreal spirit. A strong statement in favor of the imagination, above reason and the senses. That function of going beyond the material that is also exclusive to human beings.

In the symbolic world, what is impossible becomes possible in the material world. And the human being, with dreams and reveries, can access those impossibilities that, nevertheless, give full meaning to many realities that would otherwise be bland or absurd.

5. Thought and shoes

The André Breton thing was to exalt the imagination at its highest level. To him is owed the famous slogan that the students wielded in the French May of 1968 and that said: ” Imagination to power .”

When he talks about not carrying his thoughts with the weight of shoes, what he does is a call not to be “realistic”. Although this is a virtue for those who make life a project and utilitarianism a priority, it also ends up being a prison for the human being. Some go with their feet firmly on the ground, others fly.

André Breton’s phrases are, all of them, an eternal manifesto that advocates freedom, which, finally, is achieved through art and imagination. The traces of this thought marked an entire era and were responsible for many of the most interesting human creations.