Van Gogh was a truly unique artist. His paintings are unique and memorable. Moreover, his distinct style continues to wow artists and art lovers alike. For that reason, we’ve curated the most famous Vincent Van Gogh quotes. Enjoy!
Why is Vincent Van Gogh famous?
Vincent Van Gogh is famous because he was an incredibly talented artist. He produced some of the most iconic paintings of all time, including “Starry Night,” “The Potato Eaters,” “Wheatfield with Crows,” “Café Terrace at Night,” and more.
Van Gogh was also a fascinating figure who, despite not achieving the commercial success he hoped for, his passion for painting was undeniable.
▣ His life, unfortunately, was full of tragedy and turmoil.
Yet, despite struggling with mental illness and a lack of recognition during his lifetime, today, van Gogh’s truly unique painting style and originality of his work have been celebrated and appreciated by millions worldwide.
What did Van Gogh say about success?
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What is inspiring about Van Gogh?
Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853. He worked as an unpaid teacher, tried to be a pastor, and became a missionary for a few years before deciding to become a painter.
After a failed stint at art school, van Gogh moved to Paris in 1886, where he began to develop his unique painting style. Finally, in 1888, van Gogh moved to Provence, France, where he produced some of his best-known works.
Van Gogh was a Post-Impressionist painter who strove to create paintings that captured the essence of everyday life.
☑ He liked to use bright colors and thick brush strokes in his paintings.
He died in 1890 with a gunshot wound at 37 years old after shooting himself in the stomach. Today, his paintings are worth millions of dollars. In addition, art critics and other painters highly respect his work.
Why did Van Gogh cut off his ear?
Some historian experts believe that Vincent Van Gogh was deeply troubled during his years living in Arles, France, and was known to suffer from mental illness.
There’s no definitive answer to why Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ears and what exactly what was going through van Gogh’s mind at the time.
It’s a question that has baffled historians and art lovers for generations; however, a few theories attempt to explain why Vincent Van Gogh may have cut off his ear.
Some experts believe that Van Gogh had a mental illness, and chopping off his ear may have been a symptom of that. Others think he did it as an act of desperation for love, hoping that by giving someone his ear, he would be able to express his feelings better and connect with them on a deeper level.
▣ Still, others think it was simply an accident.
That Van Gogh didn’t realize what he was doing until it was too late.
Whatever the reason for cutting off his ears, the act symbolizes Vincent Van Gogh’s tumultuous life and career. He was constantly struggling with his mental health.
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What are 3 interesting facts about Vincent Van Gogh?
Here are three interesting facts about Vincent van Gogh:
- First, at 27 years old, van Gogh decided to become an artist after working for a time as a teacher and then a theologian.
- Van Gogh suffered from severe depression and mental illness throughout his life and famously cut off his ear during a fit of madness.
- Like many artists, Van Gogh struggled to make a living off his artwork. He only sold one painting in his lifetime: the Red Vineyard at Arles.
Best Vincent Van Gogh Quotes
"In spite of everything, I shall rise again; I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing."
List of other famous quotes by Vincent Van Gogh.
- If you hear a voice within you saying, ”You are not a painter,” then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced.
- I put my heart and soul into my work, and I have lost my mind in the process.
- Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.
- As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed.
- I can’t change the fact that my paintings don’t sell. But the time will come when people will recognize that they are worth more than the value of the paints used in the picture.
- What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
- I confess I do not know why, but looking at the stars always makes me dream.
- Let’s not forget that the little emotions are the great captains of our lives and we obey them without realizing it.
- The beginning is perhaps more difficult than anything else, but keep heart, it will turn out all right.
- I wanted to make people think of a totally different way of living from that which we, educated people, live. I would absolutely not want anyone to find it beautiful or good without a thought.
List of Top Vincent Van Gogh Quotes – Table of Content
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Vincent Van Gogh Quotes About Love
Van Gogh spoke some great words.
For instance, when we begin to see the world through our hearts, does life become meaningful, and we start to live and experience happiness and hassle-free existence?
☑ Love, not hatred, is contagious.
Vincent Van Gogh’s quote suggests that if you want to understand others or life, you must first love unconditionally. Unconditional love is the foundation of humankind all across the world.
Living in peace with one another leads true love to spread uniformly throughout the world, which is a good thing for human sake.
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Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
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The more I think about it,the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.
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It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.
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I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.
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Vincent Van Gogh Quotes About Art, Music, And Beauty
Vincent Van Gogh was not only a painting powerhouse who grasped visuals but also knew how to create wonderful inspirational quotes.
Indeed, you can speak the poetry “language” simply by focusing on positioning all the striking colors of the rainbow. Bright blue is music to my ears next to crimson. Baby pink is equally poetic, graceful, and unexpected right next to gray.
☑ Songs and colors are magic.
Van Gogh knew a thing or two about the soothing quality of music.
Few things on the planet can calm the mind better than a dynamic, spirited, and comprehensive piece of music.
✔ The right song can make a human being feel invincible.
It can make a person feel strong enough to face another challenging and unpredictable day on this vast planet. That’s precisely why music is one of the most influential art forms.
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One can speak poetry just by arranging colors well, just as one can say comforting things in music.
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I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.
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An artist needn’t be a clergyman or a church warden, but he must have a warm heart for his fellow men.
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It is with the reading of books the same as with looking at pictures; one must, without doubt, without hesitations, with assurance, admire what is beautiful.
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Vincent Van Gogh Quotes About God and Creativity
The inspirational quote from Van Gogh is the epitome of what we should all strive for in life. It depicts that we can achieve success more easily when we rely on God’s guidance and support.
Relying solely on our talents and skills won’t get us anywhere as far as what may be possible, but it’s with God’s help and guidance that we’ll succeed to the fullest in life.
☑ God will lead us toward the right path.
We often hear stories about great people who have achieved incredible success by working hard every day. But let’s not forget that they also had help from above! Without God’s divine intervention, we would have never gotten where we are today!
Van Gogh reminds us that if we want to achieve greatness, we should not merely rely on our efforts or talents; instead, we trust in God’s Love and grace to get through all obstacles on our way to success!
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But I always think that the best way to know God is to love many things.
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I can very well do without God both in my life and in my painting, but I cannot, suffering as I am, do without something which is greater than I am, which is my life, the power to create.
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Don’t lose heart if it’s very difficult at times, everything will come out all right and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.
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I think that I still have it in my heart someday to paint a bookshop with the front yellow and pink in the evening…like a light in the midst of the darkness.
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One must work and dare if one really wants to live.
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I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it.
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But you people do not understand me, and I am afraid you never will.
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I long so much to make beautiful things. But beautiful things require effort and disappointment and perseverance.
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As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward.
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Exaggerate the essential, leave the obvious vague.
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If you end up falling in love with someone, it’s because of them. If you end up hating someone, it’s because of you.
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Don’t lose heart if it’s very difficult at times, everything will come out all right and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.
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Vincent Van Gogh Quotes About Nature
It’s hard to imagine a world without our beautiful nature.
It’s also hard to imagine a world where everything we need comes from nature.
The truth is that most of us don’t spend enough time outdoors. We might think we do, but when was the last time you walked barefoot on grass or treadmill? Or sat in silence under a tree? Or watched the sunset with no distractions?
☑ If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.
There is natural beauty even in death and decay, ultimately leading to a new life and renewal. The more time you spend outside, the more you’ll discover how amazing this world is.
Van Gogh’s inspirational quote reminds us to find beauty even in mundane things.
Be careful not to let your mind wander while enjoying the sights of nature. Instead, focus on what’s happening now, at the moment! For instance, listen to the pleasant sounds of birds singing, the smell of pine trees, and enjoy the fresh air.
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There is peace even in the storm.
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One begins by plaguing oneself to no purpose in order to be true to nature, and one concludes by working quietly from one’s own palette alone, and then nature is the result.
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The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore.
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I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.
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Vincent Van Gogh Quotes About Stars
It appears weird to live a life devoid of dreams.
How dull would life be if we ignored to dream, beautiful dreams?
A world without dreams is a world without souls whereby every day becomes monotonous and depressing, making us feel miserable and terrible.
If staring at the nightly starkly night full of bright stars will make you start to dream, then for dream’s sake, stare the whole night!
Start dreaming in your life to make your presence wonderful and enlightened in this short lifespan we have on this planet earth. Our future appears bright when we dare to dream big, have ideas in mind, and stay positively motivated.
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Someday death will take us to another star.
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The lamps are burning and the starry sky is over it all.
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Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.
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When I have a terrible need of – shall I say the word – religion, then I go out and paint the stars.
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Famous Vincent Van Gogh Inspirational Quotes
We can’t always avoid suffering, but we can choose how it affects us. Life struggles make us stronger and more grateful when we overcome those struggles.
It’s not easy to be human, but it’s worth going through life challenges, as it’s through suffering that we grow and learn about ourselves.
▣ That is the price of being human.
To suffer without complaint means that we don’t allow ourselves to become bitter or resentful due to our experiences but rather take them as an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves and others.
☑ Suffering is inevitable!
Suffering does not have to end in bitterness and resentment. However, if you choose not to complain about your situation, you will have peace in your heart regardless of your circumstances.
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I try more and more to be myself, caring relatively little whether people approve or disapprove.
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Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination; do not become the slave of your model.
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It is looking at things for a long time that ripens you and gives you a deeper meaning.
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One may have a blazing hearth in one’s soul and yet no one ever came to sit by it. Passers-by see only a wisp of smoke from the chimney and continue on their way.
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Drawing is the root of everything, and the time spent on that is actually all profit.
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Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.
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If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things.
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Your profession is not what brings home your weekly paycheck, your profession is what you’re put here on earth to do, with such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.
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The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.
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If I am worth anything later, I am worth something now. For wheat is wheat, even if people think it is a grass in the beginning.
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Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.
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Still, there is a calm, pure harmony, and music inside of me.
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To believe in God for me is to feel that there is a God, not a dead one, or a stuffed one, who with irresistible force urges us towards more loving.
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One must never let the fire go out in one’s soul, but keep it burning.
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The victory one would gain after a whole life of work and effort is better than one that is gained sooner.
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Find things beautiful as much as you can, most people find too little beautiful.
Unforgettable Vincent Van Gogh Quotes Love, Art, And Stars
The world is full of people who have done great things.
They have accomplished amazing feats and built incredible things.
They have made the world a better place and changed it forever. These people didn’t do these things because they were lucky or born into wealth and privilege. Instead, they did these things by working hard.
Few people are fortunate enough to have been born into a life where they never had to work hard but still live a comfortable and happy life.
This motivational quote by Van Gogh reminds us that everyone has the potential to become great if they are willing to put in the effort needed to achieve greatness.
It doesn’t matter if you’re old or young or come from a low-income family or have no family — you can still make something of yourself if you strive to work hard.
There you have it, the most famous Vincent Van Gogh quotes of all time!