"We all agree now - by "we" I mean intelligent people under sixty - that a work of art is like a rose. A rose is not beautiful because it is like something else. Neither is a work of art. Roses and works of art are beautiful in themselves"

This quote by Clive Bell is stressing the concept that elegance is subjective which it must not be contrasted to something else. He is stating that an artwork resembles a rose because it is gorgeous in its own right, and also not due to the fact that it is like something else. He is also implying that smart individuals under sixty are the ones that comprehend this concept. This quote is suggesting that beauty is something that is one-of-a-kind as well as ought to be valued for its own advantages, not for its resemblances to something else. It is a suggestion that charm is in the eye of the observer and that it need to be commemorated for its own one-of-a-kind high qualities.