10 Picasso Quotes That Will Inspire the Creative Artist in You
“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction. ”
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter and sculptor.
He was an artist. An original — a changemaker.
He defied every rule in the books, questioned every status quo, and constructed a universe of art, philosophy, and new ideas that stretched the very limitations of what it means to be an artist. He co-pioneered the Cubism art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture.
Picasso was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Until this very day, his imagination, boldness, creativity and work ethic have had such a powerful impact on the world. In fact, in 2010, “Pablo Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust, a painting created in the span of a single day in 1932”, was sold for $106.5 million.
Here are 10 of my favorite quotes that will inspire the rebel, entrepreneur, creator, writer and any other artist that lives in you to rise and start creating.
“All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
This is perhaps his most celebrated quote.
It reminds me of what Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote in Le Petit Prince:
“All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it.”
And centuries before, what Rumi wrote:
“Inside you, there’s an artist you don’t know about.”
When we were younger, we were never afraid to fully express ourselves. Remember how your face would light up when someone brought you a present? Or how you got a jolt of excitement at the sight of ice cream?
As we grow, we learn to tame this enthusiasm.
We end up forgetting about the spirit of the inner-child that lives in us. We forget how to play, wander, create, explore and imagine.
But the secret to expression and art lies in the resurfacing of that playful childish spirit.
Art, defined as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination” is nothing more than an expression.
How do you express your thoughts and feelings? Through words written or spoken? How do you express love? Through acts of kindness? How do you express your emotions? Through prose or shades of yellow, pink and blue?
How do you express yourself?
“Youth has no age.” — Picasso
You are an artist, my friend. Your spirit and soul glow from within because inside you lives a wild child who’s talents are roaring to be untamed. Let it explore its capacity to create.
If you’re bored in life, perhaps it’s because you’ve lost sight of your inner-child. As per Picasso’s words, “youth has no age” and you are an artist in your own unique way.
The question is then: are you willing to take the time to resurface your inner-child, discover what your talent is and be curious enough to explore it?
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
This reminds me of a famous quote by novelist Peter De Vries: “I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.”
What Picasso is saying here is that whatever your craft is, whether it be writing or painting or podcasting, you must find the will and discipline within you to sit down and do it — every single day. That’s the only channel through which the Muse is willing to communicate and bestow on you “inspiration.”
The trouble for artists, writers, or anyone who’s trying to “create something out of nothing” is their never-ending battle with resistance.
Resistance is the voice inside your head that tells you anything to keep you from doing your work. It could be fear. It could be self-doubt. In whichever form it presents itself to you — do not give away your power to it.
In War of Art, Steven Pressfield writes: “all that matters is I’ve put in my time and hit it with all I’ve got. All that counts is that, for this day, for this session, I have overcome Resistance.” It’s not that you’re not inspired. It’s not that you’re not motivated. It’s just that you’re not willing to overcome that “resistance” and put in the required work.
When you sit down day after day and keep going, your aura transforms into a magnet of ideas, insights, and inspiration. That is the Muse — she has found you working, and so she revealed herself to you.
“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it.”
This was Picasso’s mindset. These words exemplify the profoundness of his conviction in his work and the commitment to his purpose.
“Give me a museum and I’ll fill it” doesn’t stem from arrogance, it stems from work ethic.
In all his 78-year career, Picasso produced about 147,800 pieces:
- 13,500 paintings
- 100,000 prints and engravings
- 300 sculptures and ceramics
- 34,000 illustrations
That’s incredible.
In his bestselling book, The Originals, Adam Grant writes: “If you want to be original, the most important possible thing you could do is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work.”
Picasso’s commitment to volume made him a master of his craft. Perhaps less than 10% of his creations have received praise, but it was only by producing the other 90% that he managed to create those masterpieces.
Picasso was the first living artist to receive a special honor exhibition at the Grand Gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris.
They gave him a museum and he filled it.
The secret to success and mastery lies in your attitude: do more work and fill a museum with it.
“What one does is what counts and not what one had the intention of doing.”
This is a reminder to stop overthinking or talking about your ideas and start putting your ideas into action.
It’s similar to what Gandhi said: “The future depends on what you do today… Without action, you aren’t going anywhere.”
Look — what you do today is a reflection of who you’ll become tomorrow.
Keep painting, and one day you might just become a great painter. Keep writing, and one day you might just become a great writer. Keep chipping away at entrepreneurship and one day you might just become a great entrepreneur.
Picasso also said:
“Action is the foundational key to all success.”
In short — stop talking, start doing!
“To make oneself hated is more difficult than to make oneself loved.”
Learn to love yourself — it takes less energy and effort than hating yourself.
How do you do it? You become less critical. You accept who you are today and forgive yourself for your past. You change the story you tell yourself so that it speaks to you kindly, confidently and positively: “I am creative. I love my body. I am beautiful. There is so much greatness in me.”
This is similar to what Rumi wrote, “your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”
It’s much easier to break barriers than it is to build them up.
“To draw you must close your eyes and sing. I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else.”
Close your eyes and sing.
What happens when you do?
You discover a world of imagination that lives in you. You converse with yourself. You hear the music your soul wants to sing. You visualize the colors of your emotions. You explore a new realm of ideas and creativity.
This is where great ideas are conceived.
They’re born in the charm of your inner world and are nourished in the lush gardens of your mind.
In silence and solitude — that’s where the magic happens.
“Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.”
Let’s go back to Picasso’s attitude.
He was a rule-breaker.
Around 1907 — 1908, Picasso and French artist Georges Braque co-founded an art movement known as cubism. This was a new movement introduced in the 20th century; a concept of paintings “full of cubes.”
Picasso’s 1907 “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” was his first in that new era.
They also co-invented the “collage” as we know it today.
Picasso was the first artist to incorporate collage into fine art, gluing fragments of wallpaper and newspapers onto his paintings. He brought completely divergent worlds into one, and it all stems back from his outlook and attitude on life:
“The world today doesn’t make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do? ”
This was his legacy — breaking rules within the world of art by introducing new methods that express nothing more than “no sense” creativity.
As he said:
“The chief enemy of creativity is ‘good’ sense.”
If you want to create thought-provoking work or launch a business that dares to disrupt an industry, throw all sense out the door.
You must experiment. You must see what could be and ask why not.
“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction. ”
Building on the previous point, if you want to become who you were born to be, you must be willing to let go of who you are living to be.
In order to create, you must destroy.
This doesn’t only relate to art and creation, but more importantly to your “self” and identity — to who you are today.
“When I was a child, my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as the Pope.’ Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
If you want to create your dream-self, you must destroy every mediocre fear, thought, or trait that holds you back. You must shed who you are today for who you might become tomorrow.
You must go from seeing yourself (and acting) as an amateur to seeing yourself (and acting) as a pro. In my first 6 months of entrepreneurship, I struggled — until I realized that, despite my new journey, I was still seeing myself (and acting) as an employee. So I reshaped my mindset and everything changed after that.
To grow, expand and “create” yourself, you must get uncomfortable with letting go of your limiting beliefs, harmful habits, and negative self-talk, because you are the only one holding yourself back from reaching your potential.
Destroy, so you can transform and create.
“He can who thinks he can, and he can’t who thinks he can’t. This is an inexorable, indisputable law.”
Have you noticed how all the greats link back to the power of thought?
British philosopher James Allen wrote: “All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.”
And this is precisely what Picasso is saying here in the “indisputable law” — before anything, you must believe in your mind that you can.
You can succeed in building a business. You can succeed in becoming a great artist. You can succeed in building yourself up as a writer.
“Everything you can imagine is real.” — Picasso
It all begins with an idea in your mind. As you entertain it, it begins to transform into a thought. But it is only manifested into reality when you take that first step and put it into action.
“An idea is a point of departure and no more. As soon as you elaborate it, it becomes transformed by thought.”
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
What do you want to contribute to the world?
Picasso discovered his gift in art and then spent the rest of his life dedicated to creation and experimentation. Through his collection of inspiring work, he gave back to the world. He reshaped perception, challenged societal boundaries and influenced human thought. And on why he did it, he said:
“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.”
Find what it is you want to contribute to this world and you will spend the rest of your life doing what you love.
Find your “one thing” and use it to wash the dust of daily life off our souls.
For Picasso, it was creating art. He lived a fulfilled life because he found his gift and then gave it away. That was his contribution to the world.
I spent my 20’s searching for mine until I found it: Words.
Written words to make you think. Spoken words to inspire you to act. That’s my one thing, my calling, my “gift”, and here I am… giving it away.