"When you see a fish you don't think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the water... If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement, give a pattern or shape of reality. I want just the flash of its spirit"

This quote by Constantin Brancusi speaks with the idea of recording the essence of something instead of its physical type. He suggests that when we take a look at a fish, we do not consider its scales, but rather its speed and movement. He goes on to say that if he were to make fins, eyes, and scales, he would be jailing the motion of the fish and offering it a pattern or shape of truth. He wants to catch the spirit of the fish, the flash of its spirit, instead of its physical type. This speaks to the concept of catching the essence of something instead of its physical form. Brancusi's quote motivates us to look beyond the physical type of something and to appreciate the spirit and essence of it.