“The approbation of others is a stimulus of which one must sometimes be wary. The feeling of one’s own strength makes one modest.”

One does not substitute oneself for the past, one merely adds to it a new link.

There is no light painting or dark painting, but simply relations of tones.

We must not be content to memorize the beautiful formulas of our illustrious predecessors. Let us go out and study beautiful nature.

Knowledge of the means to express our emotion is essential- and is acquired only after a very long experience.

I must be more sensible and realize that at my age, illusions are hardly permitted and they will always destroy me.

The painter must enclose himself within his work; he must respond not with words, but with paintings.

Doubtless there are things in nature which have not yet been seen. If an artist discovers them, he opens the way for his successors.

The world doesn’t understand me and I don’t understand the world, that’s why I’ve withdrawn from it.

My nervous system is enfeebled, only work in oils can sustain me.

The landscape thinks itself in me and I am its consciousness.

For an Impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations.

Monet is only an eye, but my God, what an eye!

There are two things in the painter, the eye and the mind; each of them should aid the other.

The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.

Painting is founded on the heart controlled by the head.

The sun penetrates me soundlessly like a distant friend that stirs up my laziness, fertilizes it. We bring forth life.

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.

The awareness of our own strength makes us modest.

Perdomita Britannia et statim omissa. Britain was conquered and immediately lost.

Legions and fleets are not such sure bulwarks of imperial power as a numerous family

When a woman has lost her chastity she will shrink from nothing.

After the modest success of my first film, I found it very daunting to have to live with that kind of burden of expectations.

Despite my extremely modest prices, dealers and art lovers are turning their backs on me. It is very depressing to see the lack of interest shown in an art object which has no market value.

You must have the guts to throw off the chains of modesty and mediocrity in order to be the light that the world needs.