Nor is it the task of theory to paint a picture of life

Nor is it the task of theory to paint a picture of life: Usually when a writer or any other artist makes fraudulent use of psychology he falls into his own trap, because art can no more be fashioned from concepts than from the Pythagorean theorem. Theoretical formulations give one absolutely no idea of the practice, which is infinitely more multifaceted and alive than any theory could convey. Nor is it the task of theory to paint a picture of life, but rather to create a workmanlike language which is satisfied with conventional signs.