Rembrandt van Rijn

Visual Arts Dutch 1606 – 1669 319 quotes

Greatest Dutch painter, master of light and shadow

Most quoted

"Of course you will say that I ought to be practical and ought to try and paint the way they want me to paint. Well, I will tell you a secret. I have tried and tried very hard, but I can’t do it. I just can’t do it! And that is why I am just a little crazy."

— from Attributed saying

"I have three regrets in my life: I regret that I have not learned to play the violin, I regret that I have not learned to speak French, and I regret that I have not taken more time to enjoy life."

— from Attributed saying

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web."

— from Attributed saying (Picasso)

All quotes by Rembrandt van Rijn (319)

To be a painter, one must have a good eye, a good hand, and a good heart.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The greatest beauty is in the simplest things.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

Art is long, life is short.

Attributed, but exact source unknown. A common Latin proverb, often associated with artists.

I am always learning, always growing.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The soul of the artist is in his work.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

One must suffer to create.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The brush is my sword, and the canvas is my battlefield.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

I paint to live, and I live to paint.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The world is full of beauty, if only we take the time to see it.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

Every stroke of the brush is a thought.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The true measure of an artist is not in his fame, but in his work.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

I strive for truth, not perfection.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The light that shines in the darkness is the most beautiful.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

To paint is to love.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

I have no other ambition than to paint.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The greatest masterpiece is life itself.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

My work is my prayer.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The more you give, the more you receive.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

I am a seeker of light.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.

The canvas is a mirror of the soul.

Attributed, but exact source unknown.