The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal.
BANKSY
BANKSY
More from Banksy
All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars
BanksyBanksy Stencils are good for two reasons; one – they’re quick; two – they annoy idiots.
BanksyBanksy It’s a very frustrated feeling you get when the only people with good photos of you work are the police department.
BanksyBanksy People either love me or they hate me, or they don’t really care.
BanksyBanksy Graffiti is only dangerous in the mind of three types of people; politicians, advertising executives and graffiti writers.
BanksyBanksy Should # graffiti be judged on the same level as modern art? Of course not: It’s way more important than that
BanksyBanksy It doesn’t take much to be a successful artist-all you need to do is dedicate your entire life to it.
BanksyBanksy When he time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don’t make any fuss.
BanksyBanksy The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it.
BanksyBanksy I don’t think you should have to pay to look at graffiti. You should only pay if you want to get rid of it.
BanksyBanksy If you have a statue in the city centre you could go past it every day on your way to school and never even notice it, right. But as soon as someone puts a traffic cone on its head, you’ve made your own sculpture.
BanksyBanksy Brandalism Any advertisement in public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It belongs to you. It’s yours to take, rearrange and re-use. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.
BanksyBanksy I’ve never really understood why people sleep. Wasting a third of your life and becoming vulnerable for almost 8 hours every night. Doesn’t seem very appealing to me.
BanksyBanksy You don’t need planning permission to build castles in the sky
BanksyBanksy Gaza is often described as ‘the world’s largest open air prison’ because no-one is allowed to enter or leave. But that seems a bit unfair to prisons – they don’t have their electricity and drinking water cut off randomly almost every day.
BanksyBanksy The Art we look at is made by only a select few. A small group create, promote, purchase, exhibit and decide the success of Art. Only a few hundred people in the world have any real say. When you go to an Art gallery you are simply a tourist looking at the trophy cabinet of a few millionaires
BanksyBanksy
Original quotes
From our community writers
Our only limitation is that we only believe what is visible to our eyes and audible to our ears.
Shilpa GoelShilpa Goel Some days, you will be close to the finish line and still not make it.
Sonia SabnisSonia Sabnis Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books.
Bell HooksBell Hooks I separated someplace for each person in my heart, But she claimed to be the owner of it.
Moses AlexanderMoses Alexander Modern-day love stories are born not out of love, but a tired mind and a restless heart.
Puneet MehraPuneet Mehra Forcing things only creates more tension in the mind. Let go.
Ayaka HaseAyaka Hase It doesn’t take courage to find peace in the arms of destiny. It takes faith.
Anamika GargAnamika Garg I can’t wait to collect memories from every corner of the earth to splash in the vastness of this beautiful world.
Julia Kellogg HenryJulia Kellogg Henry
Meet the writers
More on stealing
It’s obvious you shouldn’t steal, kill or be cruel.
Black FrancisBlack Francis If you wan to steal money, don’t rob a bank – open one.
Bertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht The publicity image steals her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her for the price of the product.
John BergerJohn Berger If there is no God, why bother to tell the truth? Why not steal?
Ben SteinBen Stein You steal the limelight, you steal the market share
Barbara CorcoranBarbara Corcoran We are obliged to steal pieces of language, both visual and textual.
Barbara KrugerBarbara Kruger I began stealing a lot of ideas from other directors I had worked with.
Adam RappAdam Rapp Tell anyone and everyone your idea without fear they’re going to steal it.
Aaron PatzerAaron Patzer