There are fewer things more motivating than a good quotation. Designers and artists often have a unique perspective on the world, so they often have said interesting things.
Here I am collecting some of the most inspirational quotes that I have seen attributed to famous creative people. There must be many more great examples out there so I encourage you to look up any from your favourite artists!
Saul Bass
(1920–1996) Find out more about Saul Bass. Photo by unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons
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“Failure is built into creativity… the creative act involves this element of ‘newness’ and ‘experimentalism,’ then one must expect and accept the possibility of failure.”
“Sometimes when an idea flashes, you distrust it because it seems too easy. You qualify it with all kinds of evasive phrases because you’re timid about it. But often, this turns out to be the best idea of all.”
“Work? It’s just serious play.”
Paul Rand
(1914–1996) Find out more about Paul Rand. Photo by unknown photographer, ©Library of Congress
“I haven’t changed my mind about modernism from the first day I ever did it… It means integrity; it means honesty; the absence of sentimentality and the absence of nostalgia; it means simplicity; it means clarity. That’s what modernism means to me…”
“Without play, there would be no Picasso. Without play, there is no experimentation. Experimentation is the quest for answers.”
“I steered towards humorous things. People who don’t have a sense of humour really have serious problems.”
“You can’t criticize geometry. It’s never wrong.”
Joan Miró
(1893–1983) Find out more about Joan Miró. Photo by Carl Van Vechten, ©Library of Congress
“For me an object is something living. This cigarette or this box of matches contains a secret life much more intense than that of certain human beings.”
Wassily Kandinsky
(1866–1944) Find out more about Wassily Kandinsky. Photo by Hugo Erfurth, Wikimedia Commons
“Colour is a power which directly influences the soul.”
Steve Jobs
(1955–2011) Find out more about Steve Jobs. Photo by Bernard Gotfryd, ©Library of Congress
“Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
“The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose… There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
“If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.”
Pablo Picasso
(1881–1973) Find out more about Pablo Picasso. Photo by unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons
“Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone ”
“Good artists copy. Great artists steal.”
Henri Matisse
(1869–1954) Find out more about Henri Matisse. Photo by Alvin Langdon Coburn, ©New York Public Library
“Creativity takes courage”
“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
Andy Warhol
(1928–1987) Find out more about Andy Warhol. Photo by Bernard Gotfryd, ©Library of Congress
“I like boring things.”
“Everybody must have a fantasy.”
“Art is what you can get away with.”
Salvador Dali
(1904–1989) Find out more about Salvador Dali. Photo by Carl Van Vechten, Public Domain
“Have no fear of perfection — you’ll never reach it.”
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.”
Richard Buckminster Fuller
(1895–1983) Find out more about Richard Buckminster Fuller. Photo by unknown photographer, Wikimedia Commons
“Integrity is the essence of everything successful.”
“Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about.”