“Nature does not create works of art. It is we, and the faculty of interpretation peculiar to the human mind, that see art.”

I would photograph an idea rather than an object, a dream rather than an idea.

I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive.

I am an economic person; I judge the amount of work involved with the amount of worth attained.

One of the satisfactions of a genius is his will-power and obstinacy.

Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.

I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence.

I paint what cannot be photographed, something from the imagination. I photograph the things I don’t want to paint, things that are already in existence.

If I’d had the nerve, I’d have become a thief or a gangster, but since I didn’t, I became a photographer.

The tricks of today are the truths of tomorrow.

Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.

I am not going to be dictated to by the size of the camera. I use everything from an 8 x 10 to a 35-mm. But I don’t use these modern cameras which break down all the time !

l photograph what l do not wish to paint and l paint that which l cannot photograph.

To me, a painter, if not the most useful, is the least harmful member of our society.

An original is a creation motivated by desire.

I paint when I cannot photograph.

I have never painted a recent picture.

Is being single hard? It depends where your mind is. If you are focused, being single is an enjoyable experience, but if you hate being alone, you’ll hate being single. I think it depends on the individual are where they are in life.

You must have a place to which you can go in your heart, your mind, or your house, almost every day, where you do not owe anyone and where no one owes you – a place that simply allows for the blossoming of something new and promising.

The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.

Celibacy goes deeper than the flesh.

I’m irrational about all things creative and I’m always late!

Productivity is less about what you do with your time. And more about how you run your mind.

Fathers and mothers, do not forget that children learn more by the eye than they do by the ear… Imitation is a far stronger principle with children than memory. What they see has a much stronger effect on their minds than what they are told.

To be kind is more important than to be right. Many times, what people need is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.