Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,159,190 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatina
Art
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“Must an artist live in the world or out of it? I believe this to be an unanswerable question. Total retirement, natural to the Saint, is injurious to most artists. They work marvelously so long as there are materials at hand. Goethe has further advice: "Solitude is a wonderful thing when one is at peace with oneself and when there is a definite task to be accomplished.”
André Maurois (1885–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Real success in business is to be found in achievements comparable rather with those of the artist or the scientist, of the inventor or statesman. And the joys sought in the profession of business must be like their joys and not the mere vulgar satisfaction which is experienced in the acquisition of money, in the exercise of power or in the frivolous pleasure of mere winning.”
Louis Brandeis (1856–1941) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Business — The New Profession", La Follette's Weekly Magazine, Volume 4, No. 47 (November 23, 1912), p. 7.
“An artist is a socially unattractive person whom socially attractive people make money out of.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Injure a businessman and he'll try to make you sorry; injure an artist and he'll try to make you immortal.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It now seems that pornography is the leading sex educator in the Western world. And the idea of having your sexual nature determined by a medallion-in-the-chest-hair artist out in Los Angeles is really humiliating. I'm not talking about me, but I'm talking about my children's contemporaries, kids aged 18. They're getting their sex tips from some charlatan at Wicked Video.”
Martin Amis (1949–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He is the greatest artist who has embodied, in the sum of his works, the greatest number of the greatest ideas.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900) first seen 1843 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Volume I, part I, chapter II, section 9 (1843)
“But Zarathustra made it clear in which direction the answer lay; it is towards the artist-psychologist, the intuitional thinker. There are very few such men in the world's literature; the great artists are not thinkers, the great thinkers are seldom artists.”
Colin Wilson (1931–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The 'open' mind of the poet and artist can sense realities beyond the reach of our normal senses. The real problem is that our materialistic assumptions have a number of false premises built into them: it is only when we recognize this that we see there is no sharp dividing line between the everyday world and the invisible world of the clairvoyant.”
Colin Wilson (1931–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society must let the artist go, to wander off into their nebula.”
Brandon Boyd (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The masterpiece should appear as the flower to the painter—perfect in its bud as in its bloom - with no reason to explain it's presence - no mission to fulfill - a joy to the artist, a delusion to the philanthropist - a puzzle to the botanist - an accident of sentiment and alliteration to the literary man.”
James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) said by 1903 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The function of the artist is to provide what life does not.”
Tom Robbins (1932–2025) said by 2025 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As for an authentic villain, the real thing, the absolute, the artist, one rarely meets him even once in a lifetime. The ordinary bad hat is always in part a decent fellow.”
Colette (1873–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The South of France”, Earthly Paradise (1966) ed. Robert Phelps
“There is no word for artist in the Mysian language; instead there’s a long-winded periphrasis that translates as man-who-deceives-others-into-giving-food-by-spoiling-bits-of-wood.”
“The artist discards all theories, both his own and those of others. He forgets everything when he is in front of his canvas.”
Georges Rouault (1871–1958) said by 1958 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The conscience of an artist worthy of the name is like an incurable disease which causes him endless torment but occasionally fills him with silent joy …”
Georges Rouault (1871–1958) said by 1958 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would like to be a free artist and nothing else, and I regret God has not given me the strength to be one.”
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) first seen 1888 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Alexei Pleshcheev (October 4, 1888)
“My holy of holies is the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom imaginable, freedom from violence and lies, no matter what form the latter two take. Such is the program I would adhere to if I were a major artist.”
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) first seen 1888 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Alexei Pleshcheev (October 4, 1888)
“You are right to demand that an artist engage his work consciously, but you confuse two different things: solving the problem and correctly posing the question.”
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) first seen 1888 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to A.S. Suvorin (October 27, 1888)
“The person who wants nothing, hopes for nothing, and fears nothing can never be an artist.”
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) first seen 1892 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to A.S. Suvorin (November 25, 1892)
“The primary distinction of the artist is that he must actively cultivate that state which most men, necessarily, must avoid: the state of being alone.”
James Baldwin (1924–1987) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Creative Process" (1962) originally published in The National Culture Center's Creative America (1962) and later published in The Price of the Ticket (1985)
“I regard myself as an entertainer much more than an artist.”
Peter Jackson (born 1961) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Hobbit interview, 2012.
“I used to think if it wasn't possible to be a family man and a totally dedicated artist, I'd rather be the former. I'm an idealist and a romantic.”
Charlton Heston (1923–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For me Greece is Maria Farantouri. This is how I imagined Goddess Hera to be: strong, pure and vigilant. I have never encountered any other artist able to give me such a strong sense of the divine.”
François Mitterrand (1916–1996) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: L’Abeille et l’architecte [The Bee and the Architect] (1980)
“Contrary to general belief, an artist is never ahead of his time but most people are far behind theirs. I was the first composer to explore, so to speak, musical outer space.”
Edgard Varèse (1883–1965) first seen 1962 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Gramophone (1962), Vol. 40, Part 2, p. 389
“Sorrowful and great is the artist's destiny.”
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) said by 1886 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Joseph Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music: An Introduction to Perceptive Listening (1963) Page 107.
“My notion about any artist is that we honor him best by reading him, by playing his music, by seeing his plays or by looking at his pictures. We don't need to fall all over ourselves with adjectives and epithets. Let's play him more.”
Jacques Barzun (1907–2012) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview by John C. Tibbetts, at Scribner's, New York (December 4, 1986)
“I love, as an artist, bringing my energy to other artists. That’s really a fulfilling feeling. So, I’ll be fairy godmothering. You never know where you’ll see me.”
Alicia Keys (born 1981) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Alicia Keys may pop up when the national tour of her musical ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ comes to your town AP News (October 17, 2025)
“Imagine, 24 pages of superhero adventures produced by the same writer and artist every month!! How did they do it? (What? By being professional about it? But that's too much like work!) (2008)”
John Byrne (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My father was a proctologist; my mother was an abstract artist. That's how I view the world.”
Sandra Bernhard (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Human life itself may be almost pure chaos, but the work of the artist — the only thing he's good for — is to take these handfuls of confusion and disparate things, things that seem to be irreconcilable, and put them together in a frame to give them some kind of shape and meaning. Even if it's only his view of a meaning. That's what he's for — to give his view of life.”
Katherine Anne Porter (1890–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Something was still there, that something that distinguishes an artist from a performer: the revealing of self. Here I be. Not for long, but here I be. In sensing her mortality, we sensed our own.”
Studs Terkel (1912–2008) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On seeing a 1956 performance by Billie Holiday, Talking to Myself Bk. 4 (1973) Ch. 4
“He is a truly complex fellow, not unlike the Michelangelos and da Vincis of the Renaissance period. He's a supreme artist but he is constantly filled with doubts and self-anger about his work--and that is what makes him so good. He is a perfectionist who is never sure he is attaining perfection.”
Fred Astaire (1899–1987) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rouben Mamoulian, quoted in Satchell, Tim. Astaire, The Biography. Hutchinson, London. 1987. . p. 200.
“I used to tell everyone I meant to be an artist..... I don't do that any more.”
“After sticking up the picture I took five minutes to watch what happened next. A sea of people walked up, stared and left looking confused and slightly cheated. I felt like a true modern artist.”
“[Description of a stuffed mouse dressed as a graffiti artist that Banksy snuck into the London Museum as an exhibit:] "The Banksus Militius is a virulent pest that marks its territory with a series of elaborate signs. Professor R Langford of University College of London states, 'Laugh now but one day they may well be in charge'.”
“Writing graffiti is about the most honest way you can be an artist. It takes no money to do it, you don't need an education to understand it and there's no admission fee.”
“Generally speaking, colour is a power which directly influences the soul. Colour is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammer, the soul is the strings.The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul.”
Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) first seen 1866 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: V. The psychological working of Colour: Quoted in: Hajo Düchting (2000) Wassily Kandinsky, 1866-1944: A Revolution in Painting. p. 17
“All means are sacred when they are dictated by inner necessity. All means are reprehensible when they do not spring from the fountain of inner necessity... The artist must be blind to 'recognized' and 'unrecognized' form, deaf to the teachings and desires of his time. His open eyes must be directed to his inner life and his ears must be constantly attuned to the voice of inner necessity.”
Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in: Sunil Goonasekera (1991) George Keyt, Interpretations. p. 146
“If the artist has outer and inner eyes for nature, nature rewards him by giving him inspiration.”
Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At the Bauhaus, Klee exuded a healthy, generative atmosphere – as a great artist and as a lucid, pure human being.”
Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944) first seen 1931 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Kandinsky, from Bauhaus - Zeitschrift für Gestaltung, no. 3, 1931; as cited in 'Klee & Kandinsky', 2015 exhibition text, Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau Munich, 2015-2016
“If we are to change our world view, images have to change. The artist now has a very important job to do. He's not a little peripheral figure entertaining rich people, he's really needed.”
David Hockney (1937–2026) first seen 1986 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Paul Joyce, New York, (September 1986) quoted in Hockney on Photography, ed. Wendy Brown (1988)
“We live in an age where the artist is forgotten. He is a researcher. I see myself that way.”
David Hockney (1937–2026) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Observer (London, 9 June 1991)
“Any artist will tell you he's really only interested in the stuff he's doing now. He will, always. It's true, and it should be like that.”
David Hockney (1937–2026) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Mark Feeney, "David Hockney keeps seeking new avenues of exploration," Boston Globe (26 February 2006)
“I don't know what people find or like in me, I'm hopelessly commonplace! ... Current appreciation of my work is a bit "highbrow", I've always considered myself a popular artist.”
Maxfield Parrish (1870–1966) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Bit of a Come-Back Puzzles Parrish" in The New York Times (3 June 1964)
“EVERY HUMAN BEING IS AN ARTIST who -”
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes people associate getting big with selling out, which is funny because that's not something you necessarily have choice in. That's not a matter that is entirely up to you and at the same time, who hasn't sold out? If you've heard of a specific artist, they're big enough--they got to you. Where do you draw the line between what's big and what's too big?”
Patrick Stump (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nowhere does one come to know an artist better than in his prints [and] the woodcut is the most graphic of the print processes.”
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) first seen 1921 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quote of 1921; , in 'Uber Kirchners Graphik', Genius 3, no. 2, p. 252; as quoted in 'The Revival of Printmaking in Germany', by I. K. Rigby; in German Expressionist Prints and Drawings - Essays Vol 1.; published by Muse…
“Well, Gaffer [his early friend Mr. Wells, artist] I see there will be no peace till I comply; so give me a piece of paper. There, now, rule the size for me, and tell me what I am to do. [Mr. Wells told him: 'Well divide your subject into classes, say: Pastoral, Marine, Elegant Pastoral, and so forth..']”
J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) first seen 1806 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Turner, c. 1806?; told by Mr Wells' daughter, Mrs. Wheeler; included in The life of J.M.W. Turner, Volume II, George Walter Thornbury; Hurst and Blackett Publishers, London, 1862, p. 55
“My principle is, the artist shall put forth, humbly & lovingly, without bitterness, the very best & highest that is within him,utterly regardless of contemporary criticism.”
Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) first seen 1876 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to the poet's father May 6 1876.
“The man of genius whether as artist or thinker requires a mass of accidental variations to select from and a rigidly selective process of attention.”
Boris Sidis (1867–1923) said by 1923 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source