Some paint comes across directly onto the nervous system and other paint tells you the story in a long diatribe through the brain.
It’s always hopeless to talk about painting – one never does anything but talk around it.
If you want to convey fact, this can only ever be done through a form of distortion. You must distort to transform what is called appearance into image.
Very few people have a natural feeling for painting, and so, of course, they naturally think that painting is an expression of the artist’s mood. But it rarely is. Very often he may be in greatest despair and be painting his happiest paintings.
Before I start painting I have a slightly ambiguous feeling: happiness is a special excitement because unhappiness is always possible a moment later.
I would like, in my arbitrary way, to bring one nearer to the actual human being.
You could say that I have no inspiration, that I only need to paint.
I would live to study, not study to live.
For it is most true that a natural and secret hatred and aversation towards society in any man, hath somewhat of the savage beast.
I hold every man a debtor to his profession; from the which as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavor themselves, by way of amends, to be a help and ornament thereunto.
Again men have been kept back as by a kind of enchantment from progress in science by reverence for antiquity, by the authority of men counted great in philosophy, and then by general consent.
He that seeketh to be eminent amongst able men hath a great task; but that is ever good for the public. But he that plots to be the only figure amongst ciphers is the decay of a whole age.
To know truly is to know by causes.
The voice of the people has about it something divine: for how otherwise can so many heads agree together as one?
The greatest vicissitude of things amongst men, is the vicissitude of sects and religions.
Religion brought forth riches, and the daughter devoured the mother.
In revenge a man is but even with his enemy; for it is a princely thing to pardon, and Solomon saith it is the glory of a man to pass over a transgression.
For whatever deserves to exist deserves also to be known, for knowledge is the image of existence, and things mean and splendid exist alike.
Secrecy in suits goes a great way towards success.
Man was formed for society.