100+ Insightful Pablo Picasso Quotes: A Masterpiece Of Wisdom For Every Artist

Renowned as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso’s impact extends far beyond his groundbreaking contributions to the world of visual arts.

Beyond his iconic paintings and sculptures, Picasso’s profound thoughts and perspectives on life have left an indelible mark on the collective consciousness. In this exploration of the best quotes by Pablo Picasso, we delve into the mind of the artistic genius, uncovering gems of wisdom that continue to inspire and provoke thought.

Picasso’s quotes reflect not only his artistic prowess but also his keen insight into the human experience. His ability to distill complex emotions and abstract concepts into succinct and powerful phrases is evident in the timeless nature of his words.

From creativity and art to life and human nature, the best quotes by Pablo Picasso offer a window into the profound musings of a visionary.

Prepare to embark on a journey through the mind of an artistic luminary as we explore inspirational Pablo Picasso’s quotes that have transcended time and continue to resonate with individuals across the globe.

These thought-provoking quotes by Pablo Picasso are more than mere words—they are windows into the soul of a creative genius, inviting us to contemplate the essence of existence and the boundless possibilities of the human spirit.

100+ Insightful Pablo Picasso Quotes: A Masterpiece Of Wisdom For Every Artist

100+ Insightful Pablo Picasso's Quotes A Masterpiece Of Wisdom For Every Artist

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”
“Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.”
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
“Give me a museum, and I’ll fill it.”
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
“Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
“Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions.”
“We don’t grow older; we grow riper.”
“Sculpture is the art of the intelligence.”
“I am only an entertainer who has understood his time.”
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
“Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.”
“I do not seek, I find.”
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.”
“Art is the lie that makes us realize the truth.”
“What one does is what counts and not what one had the intention of doing.”
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.”
“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon.”
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
“To draw, you must close your eyes and sing.”
“It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.”
“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.”
“You mustn’t always believe what I say. Questions tempt you to tell lies, particularly when there is no answer.”
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Everything you can imagine is real.”
“To finish a work? To finish a picture? What nonsense! To finish it means to be through with it, to kill it, to rid it of its soul, to give it its final blow, the coup de grâce for the painter as well as for the picture.”
“One must act in painting as in life, directly.”
“The artist is a ‘Revealer,’ not an ‘Exhibitor.'”
“It is not what an artist does that counts, but what he is.”
“Art is a lie that makes us realize truth.”
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
“The older you get, the stronger the wind gets—and it’s always in your face.”
“When I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
“It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.”

“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward, you can remove all traces of reality.”
“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.”
“Art is the most beautiful of all lies.”
“I do not believe I have ever painted a dream.”
“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.”
“Every positive value has its price in negative terms… the genius of Einstein leads to Hiroshima.”
“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”
“To copy others is necessary, but to copy oneself is pathetic.”
“In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine.”
“I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.”
“I am the child who is born out of the incestuous marriage of art and money.”
“Art is the most effective mode of communication that exists.”
“Art is the lie that makes us see the truth.”
“There are painters who, after much sweat and labor, finish their painting — then they say, ‘I am no good. I have only a small talent.’ In that small talent, great things can happen.”
“Art is never chaste. It ought to be forbidden to ignorant innocents, never allowed into contact with those not sufficiently prepared. Yes, art is dangerous.”
“Give me a forum, and I’ll give you a controversy.”
“I do not believe in the power of women. In the end, they always get the best of men.”
“It’s not what you paint but how you paint it.”
“The one thing the world will never have enough of is the outrageous.”
“Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
“A picture used to be a sum of additions. In my case, a picture is a sum of destructions.”
“I don’t paint things. I only paint the difference between things.”
“What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who has only eyes if he is a painter, or ears if he is a musician, or a lyre in every chamber of his heart if he is a poet, or even, if he is a boxer, only some muscles? Quite the contrary, he is at the same time a political being, constantly alert to the horrifying, passionate or pleasing events in the world, shaping himself completely in their image.”
“When we discovered Cubism, we did not have the aim of discovering Cubism. We only wanted to express what was in us.”
“When art critics get together, they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together, they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine.”
“You must not be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are never a crime in art.”
“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.”
“You must forget all your theories, all your ideas before the subject. What part of these is really your own will be expressed in your expression.”
“If I don’t have red, I use blue.”
“It is not up to the painter to define the symbols. Otherwise, it would be better if he wrote them out in so many words! The public who look at the picture must interpret the symbols as they understand them.”
“There are only two types of women: goddesses and doormats.”
“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.”
“Give me some mud and I will paint you a picture of a woman.”
“Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.”
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
“There is no such thing as a mistake in art.”
“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon.”
“Every act of creation is, first of all, an act of destruction.”
“A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle.”

“An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate, it becomes transformed by thought.”
“Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.”
“Every positive value has its price in negative terms. The genius of Einstein leads to Hiroshima.”
“The hidden harmony is better than the obvious.”
“The more technique you have, the less you have to worry about it. The more technique there is, the less there is.”
“Give me a lamp and a place to stand, and I will move the world.”
“Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.”
“The one thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
“One does a whole painting for one peach and people think just the opposite – that particular peach is but a detail.”
“I don’t believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.”
“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.”
“The more I paint, the more I like everything.”
“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward, you can remove all traces of reality.”
“Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.”
“It takes a long time to become young.”
“Everything is a miracle. It is a miracle that one does not dissolve in one’s bath like a lump of sugar.”
“You mustn’t always believe what I say. Questions tempt you to tell lies, particularly when there is no answer.”
“What might be taken for a precocious genius is the genius of childhood. When the child grows up, it disappears without a trace. It may happen that this boy will become a real painter someday, or even a great painter. But then he will have to begin everything again, from zero.”
“When I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
“You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.”
“Art is the most beautiful of all lies.”
“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”
“To copy others is necessary, but to copy oneself is pathetic.”
“To draw, you must close your eyes and sing.”
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.”
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
“What one does is what counts and not what one had the intention of doing.”
“It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.”
“I am only an entertainer who has understood his time.”
“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.”
“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.”
“Art is not the application of a canon of beauty but what the instinct and the brain can conceive beyond any canon.”
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.”
“Give me odorous at sunrise a garden of beautiful flowers where I can walk undisturbed.”
“I do not seek, I find.”
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.”
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.”