Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
EnglishItalianoPolskiעבריתFrançaisPortuguêsفارسیEspañol中文РусскийDeutschالعربيةहिन्दी日本語ΕλληνικάLatinaNederlands
Art
LoveFriendshipHappinessHopeFearCourageDeathLifeTimeWarPeaceFreedomTruthWisdomKnowledgeScienceArtMusicNatureMoneyWorkPowerGodBeautyLaughterFamilySuccess and failureChangeDreamsBooks and reading
“When I was a lawyer, I quickly came to realize I was more comfortable sitting on the floor, creating sculptures than I was sitting in a boardroom, negotiating contracts. My own personal conflicts and fears, coupled with a deep desire for overall happiness, paved the way to becoming a full-time, working artist.”
Nathan Sawaya (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My favorite subject is the human form. A lot of my work suggests a figure in transition. It represents the metamorphosis I am experiencing in my own life. My pieces grown out of my fears and accomplishments, as a lawyer and as an artist, as a boy and as a man.”
Nathan Sawaya (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Regarding field recordings] I try not to edit or assign value to what I find...What I'm trying to do is get enough material so the artist and musician in me can develop some sort of beautiful response using those sounds.”
Stuart Hyatt first seen 1208 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: https://lancasteronline.com/features/entertainment/lancaster-sound-map-shows-theres-more-to-a-places-identity-than-visuals/article_a4d7d4d4-1208-11e6-83c5-77a4e11af42e.html Lancaster Online
“No matter how individualistic and aloof the creative mind is it wants the kinship of all kinds of minds. To be accepted by a few in authority, although a grateful distinction, is not quite satisfactory. In the long run every true artist wants the wave-length universal. (October 30th)”
Art Young (1866–1943) said by 1943 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A lot of people are learning and discovering me as an artist so it has opened up a bigger space for me and a brand new market.”
Mpho Sebina (born 1989) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Singer Mpho Sebina: Working with Black Coffee and other artists a great experience by Constance Gaanakgomo, Times Live on 17 December 2021 Retrieved on 26 June 2023.
“(My favorite artist that uses dark humor is) the French humorist Claude Serre, with a fine graphic style and a very hard black humor can be found in his series of cartoons, like “Humour Noir & Hommes en Blanc”. Another good example that can be easily found is the book “Idées Noires”, by Franquin. Very different from his usual style, but still a little gem that is not very known to the public.”
Marco De Angelis (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don’t wear makeup. I don’t wash my hair every day. It’s not something that I associate with myself. I commend women who wake up 30, 40 minutes early to put on eyeliner. I think it’s beautiful. I’m just not that person. So to go to a shoot and have my makeup artist put on face cream and send me off to do a photo, I was like, “Well, this makes life easy.”
Mila Kunis (born 1983) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mila Kunis on Life With Ashton and Making Babies: “There’s Nothing We Don’t Know About Each Other"" in Glamour (6 July 2016)
“The Jewish artist in me feels displaced. I want to have time to write, to create literature which expands our notion of our Jewishness, which might in turn give us rest and inspire us to keep on with our peace work. But I don't make time for it. I remain focused on Israel and the Occupied Territories, where the situation is worsening.”
Irena Klepfisz (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My greatest fear as an artist is time management. I want to be a great mother and loving wife, so I don’t want to be carried away looking for money. I know how time consuming acting is so I’m praying to God for help in handling sensitive situation.”
Bukunmi Oluwasina (born 1990) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I wasn't an artist of any sort, but I thought I knew something about how artists' minds worked, and I didn't believe that to change an external situation had much to do with it. It was what they did with whatever was lying about that mattered.”
Howard Spring (1889–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I choose to ignore online gossip and negativity. If I let myself get caught up in other people's opinions, I won't be able to achieve my goals and aspirations as an artist.”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Knowless Butera on sexual harassment in music, inspiring young girls and more (The New Times, April 5, 2024)
“Excellency, at this level I had started this profession of mine as an artist, and I has started making some money”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: https://www.ktpress.rw/2024/07/singer-butera-knowless-shares-testimony-of-humble-beginning-to-rpf-candidate-and-crowd-of-supporters/
“The 'Baramushaka' artist also said she would be in acting and business ventures if she weren't a musician."I enjoy acting, and I also consider investing in various businesses.”
Butera Knowless (born 1990) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Knowless Butera's favorite rappers, songs, and more. newtimes.co.rw (20 Sept, 2026)
“One must be an artist before he can create-that I knew.”
Ida Tarbell (1857–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would say to an artist, don’t go independent if you are not ready. You have to be ready and you have to want to work and know why you are doing it because there’ll be a lot of nights where you are just tired. You have to have a why.”
“I see myself as a new artist again who is hustling. That’s my mentality, I don’t walk into a room expecting anyone to know who I am. I’m just here to get a seat at the table”
Tiwa Savage (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I came on board as an artist who portrays black LGBTI people. So, my being here is more political than anything else. It basically means that if we do not see images of black LGBTI people as members of the community, that we need to bring forward the visuals of our people.”
Zanele Muholi (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When you are an artist you are telling your story and other people stories…As a South African, when I had the platform to sing, I took it as a platform to tell my story, to inspire those who were fighting for equal right and freedom.”
Yvonne Chaka Chaka (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He reached his peak as an artist, but above all, he wanted to be a family man. And his greatest passion now is being with his daughters, with his wife. I respect that choice immensely, but I'm not there yet.”
Celine Dion (born 1968) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Céline Dion On Her Return to the Stage: 'I Know That Nothing Will Stop Me' Canada Billboard (April 22, 2024).
“He is the most loving father, the most brilliant actor, the most beautiful operatic tenor, the most talented visual artist- the wisest and most human advice giver.”
Mira Sorvino (born 1967) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mira express admiration for her father in 2018.
“I’ve been blessed to know a lot of artists who are also mothers, who don’t necessarily go the cliché route of “motherhood ruins you.” It has always been more nuanced conversations, about the joy found in some aspects of parenting, how this perspective does and doesn’t inform creative life, and how one has a full community life as an artist even if one isn’t as a mother.”
Kaitlyn Greenidge wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's a dream come true! Every artist I know would love to make their own comics. Would love to get paid for making it, and to keep the control of it, about the stories, about the heart.”
David Revoy (born 1981) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: About working on Pepper&Carrot. Source: "Passionate Voices Episode 2 - David Revoy" (at 27m48s), Passionate Voices on YouTube, 2 June 2015.
“Show what you can do and be excellent at it, then you can’t be ignored anymore. It doesn’t have to be a culturally or ethnically specific role or project; you can just be a talented filmmaker, artist, actor, producer or whatever, you can turn that corner. If that’s what gets you in great, but that isn’t what we should always be limited to (culture/ethnicity).”
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (born 1972) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee from Kim’s Convenience" in Ricepaper Magazine (5 December 2018)
“The authentic artist carries within himself another world to which the ordinary person has no access. The great value of the poet is that he enriches us with new, thoroughly experienced feelings, with unseen or differently seen landscapes.”
Anna Margolin (1887–1952) said by 1952 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success requires hard work whether you are a tennis player, an artist, a scientist, a writer or an entrepreneur.”
Mamokgethi Phakeng (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I knew it was God’s favour, being able to work with an award-winning artist was a plus on my side,”
Janet Otieno (born 1977) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Funding is a major issue for every artist; people want to watch a good play; people want to get entertained and they don’t want to pay for it.”
Peju Layiwola (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is the era of interdisciplinary research. There must be a collapse of boundaries between disciplines. As an artist trained in metalworking, I am conversant with metal casting processes- working with non-ferrous metals like copper and its alloys, gold and silver. I also use centrifugal casting systems, lost wax, sand casting methods in my work.”
Peju Layiwola (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When we understand our histories and we can process the traumas that might have been passed down through the generations, we can better face these issues and also begin to heal as individuals and families. And, if you're a writer or an artist, you might find yourself with a life-changing project on your hands that is both enlightening and empowering.”
Rudy Ruiz first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Latinx in Publishing, November 30th, 2022
“Before that my work was purely design. It was purely, you know, marketing and advertising 100%. Being a studio artist was never something that had been on my radar. My plan had been to finish school, start working in an ad agency, take over the world. But everything completely shifted when I finished the first piece.”
Ayobola Kekere-Ekun (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Oh I know! If it’s gonna be like an admin day then I'm updating my mailing list, updating my archive, working on proposals, searching for new opportunities, updating my artist statement, figuring out if I'm ready to tweak my website again, doing my books… all the things that come up basically running a business really.”
Ayobola Kekere-Ekun (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“that was kind of the '60s mentality, too—you didn't need to be published, that was mainstream. You just wanted to be an artist and create something.”
Alice Hoffman (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I almost had a heart attack. I was going to be the first Chinese artist to perform at the Oscars. It’s that Chinese pride. I want people to know that we are talented in many ways: not only at kung fu, computers or cooking Chinese food. I felt like I had a lot to prove.”
Coco Lee (1975–2023) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: (2014)
“It is an artist’s dream/goal to share their work with the world, and I have been blessed in that regard. I have enjoyed creating and sharing it all.”
Daphne Odjig (1919–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ah, ‘The Suffering Critic.’ The work to gladden the heart of any artist.”
Alexander Jablokov (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“An artist who works with himself as both raw materials and subject can never transcend either.”
Alexander Jablokov (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have been working long enough as a potter to know that being commissioned is an extremely delicate business. You are grateful, of course, but gratitude is different from feeling indebted. It is an interesting question for any artist: how long must you go on feeling grateful once someone has bought your work?”
Edmund de Waal (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Being a Black woman who was born and raised in America to African parents is, naturally, where I draw my inspiration from as an artist and filmmaker.”
Akosua Adoma Owusu (born 1984) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Kwame Edwin Otu, "Akosua Adoma Owusu: Saving Rex Cinema", Design233, December 7, 2013.
“The ego is the most dangerous thing for an artist. That you start believing in your grandeur, that’s the end of your creativity.”
Marina Abramović (born 1946) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I couldn’t be happier to be the first live performing artist from Botswana to grace their main stage. Thank you to MultiChoice Botswana for always making way for creatives in Botswana outside of the country.”
Dato Seiko first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dato Seiko and Mdu Tha Party for DStv Delicious Festival, The Botswana Gazette, 4 October 2023, by Admin, Retrieved: 4 November 2023.
“After 20 years‚ I’ve decided to give the Thandaza character a break in order for me to grow as an artist‚ venture out to explore new opportunities and discover what I can do as an actress and as a human being”
Sindi Dlathu (born 1974) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'She has become my sister' - Dingaan Mokebe on Sindi Dlathu,31 October 2017,by Tshisalive
“Cassper is still the biggest artist but he still has to convince people that he is the best. I don’t want to go through that personally. There’s only so much you can do in your own country. Fill Up was the biggest so what’s next? It’s easy to get to the top but it’s hard to stay there.”
Kamogelo Matona (born 1999) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So the thing about me is, I’ve always considered myself to be a very versatile artist. From the very first EP, all five to six songs on are completely different and I’ve never wanted to box myself.”
Cina Soul (born 1996) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ivy Kekeli, Cina Soul shares her musical journey, yfmghana, 7 November 2022.
“The beat that pulses through House music compels an individual to move their body. Yet, House music is more than an irresistible groove. In the eyes and ears of Zimbabwean-born artist Jackie Queens, House music has the power of building communities.”
Jackie Queens wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every artist would like to communicate, but often he fails to ask himself with whom he is trying to do it.”
Ben Shahn (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think the term "self-expression" ought to be forbidden. It's finished. A person, if he has a gram of honesty, naturally does nothing but express himself. Self-expression is as much part of the artist as teeth are to the dentist; it is part of his life, his work.”
Ben Shahn (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are, roughly, about three conditions that seem to be basic in the artist's equipment: to be cultured, to be educated, and to be integrated.”
Ben Shahn (1898–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Part of the task of the artist is to reach across boundaries, to love and empathize with the other, the stranger.”
Alicia Ostriker (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The industry was hostile. I would be performing and they would turn off my microphone because the A-list artist doesn’t like me.”
Mo'Cheddah (born 1990) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Mo’Cheddah spoke on hostile music industry in 2018.
“Things don't just change with the squares, they also start with individuals, for example by reading books. But you have to be intellectually free. Instead, even today, when I said that I consider Julius Evola an artist worthy of interest, I caused scandal in certain left-wing press, in a prejudiced and superficial way.”
Lucio Dalla (1943–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source