Quotes: Mark Rothko

"A painting is not about an experience. It is an experience." 

–– Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Latvian-born American painter 

via: Commonplace Book 2024, 2025, p. 48.

Quotes: Pablo Picasso

"Art is theft."

–– Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Spanish artist 

via: Sketchbook M 13, 2024, 2025, p. 19.

Quotes: Walter Benjamin

"All great works of literature either dissolve a genre or invent one." 

–– Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), German cultural critic 

via: Sketchbook M 13, 2024, 2025, p. 19.

Quotes: Paul Krugman

"[I]t takes some sophistication to realize that simplicity may be the result of years of hard thinking." 

–– Paul Krugman (b. 1953) American economist and author 

Source: Paul Krugman. Arguing with Zombies: Economics, Politics, and the Fight for a Better Future. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020; p. 403.

via: Sketchbook M 13, 2024, 2025, p. 18.

Quotes: John Foster Dulles

"A man's accomplishments in life are the cumulative effect of his attention to detail." 

–– John Foster Dulles (1888-1959) American politician, lawyer, and diplomat 

via: Sketchbook M 13, 2024, 2025, p. 18.

Quotes: David Lynch

"The old is dead, and I don't know what the new is. The only way to find the new is to start different things and see if there's something that can come out of experimentation. It's somewhat unsettling, but it's a hopeful thing in a way. I've been here before, lots of times." 

–– David Lynch (1946-2025), American filmmaker, visual artist, musician and actor 

Source: Austin Kleon newsletter, January 24, 2025 

via: Sketchbook K 11, 2025, p. 45.

Quotes: Publilius Syrus

"Practice is the best of all instructors." 

–– Publilius Syrus (85 BC – 43 BC), Syrian-born Latin writer

via: Commonplace Book 2006-2009, 2007, p. 97.