If you hear a voice within you saying, "You are not a paint… - Vincent van Gogh

" "
If you hear a voice within you saying, "You are not a painter," then by all means paint, boy, and that voice will be silenced, but only by working. He who goes to trends and tells his troubles when he feels like that loses part of his manliness, part of the best that's in him; your friends can only be those who themselves struggle against it, who raise your activity by their own example of action.

Vincent van Gogh

Sources available for members. Sign up free to see where this quote comes from

English

Collect this quote

About Vincent van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which date from the last two years of his life. They include landscapes, still lifes, portraits, and self-portraits, and are characterised by bold colours and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that contributed to the foundations of modern art. Not commercially successful, he struggled with severe depression and poverty, eventually leading to his suicide at age thirty-seven.

Biography information from Wikiquote

Also Known As

Alternative Names: Vincent Willem van Gogh • van Gogh • Vincent Van Gogh • Van Gogh

All quotes from Vincent van Gogh Similar Quotes by other Originators

Shorter versions of this quote

If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?

What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything? If you hear a voice within saying ‘You are not a painter’ then by all means paint – and that voice will be silenced.

If you hear a voice within you say ,you cannot paint,' then by all means paint. And that voice will be silenced.

Originators like Vincent van Gogh:

Paul Gauguin Johann Wolfgang von Goethe George Sand Paula Modersohn-Becker André Gide

Additional quotes by Vincent van Gogh

be careful not to become narrow-minded, or afraid of reading what is well written, quite the contrary, such writings are a source of comfort in life.

It's not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, for reality is more important than the feeling for pictures.

I would sooner paint people's eyes than cathedrals, for there is something in the eyes that is lacking in a cathedral - however solemn and impressive it may be. To my mind a man's soul, be it that of a poor beggar or of a streetwalker, is more interesting.

If you hear a voice within you saying, "You are not a painter," then by all means paint, boy, and that voice will be silenced, but only by working. H… - Vincent van Gogh

About Vincent van Gogh

Also Known As

Unlimited Quote Collections

Shorter versions of this quote

Additional quotes by Vincent van Gogh

Unlimited Quote Collections