As comedy presents the vital rhythm of self-preservation, tragedy exhibits that of self-consummation.

Religion, even the most primitive and superstitious, is inevitably a beginning of culture. It is not possible without some kind of symbolic expression ... and begets dramatic gesture, dance, and chant.

A signal is comprehended if it serves to make us notice the object or situation it bespeaks. A symbol is understood when we conceive the idea it presents.

The seeds of civilization are in every culture, but it is city life that brings them to fruition.

We have no physical model of this endless rhythm of individuation and involvement, we do have its image in the world of art, most purely in dance.

common sense is a very tricky instrument; it is as deceptive as it is indispensable.

As comedy presents the vital rhythm of self-preservation, tragedy exhibits that of self-consummation.