Here’s a collection of 100 Georgia O’Keeffe quotes, showcasing her unique thoughts on art, nature, creativity, and life.
On Art and Creativity
- “To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.”
- “I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain, and I am quite free.”
- “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.”
- “I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could.”
- “Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression, but painting and drawing are the most fun.”
- “Nobody sees a flower, really—it is so small—it takes time. We haven’t time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.”
- “One cannot be an American by going about saying that one is an American. It is necessary to feel America, like America, love America, and then work.”
- “Color is one of the great things in the world that makes life worth living to me and as I have come to think of painting, it is my life.”
- “I feel that there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore.”
- “I decided that the only thing I could do that was nobody else’s business was to paint.”
On Nature and Beauty
- “I wish people were all trees and I think I could enjoy them then.”
- “It is only by selection, by elimination, and by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.”
- “I found myself saying to myself—’I can’t live where I want to—I can’t go where I want to—I can’t do what I want to.’ I said to myself, ‘I’ve had enough of this.’ And I moved to New Mexico.”
- “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else.”
- “The abstraction is often the most definite form for the intangible thing in myself that I can only clarify in paint.”
- “The bones seem to cut sharply to the center of something that is keenly alive on the desert even though it is vast and empty and untouchable—and knows no kindness with all its beauty.”
- “Nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things.”
- “I don’t see why we ever think of what others think of what we do—no matter who they are, isn’t it enough just to express yourself?”
- “When you believe in yourself, the world believes in you too.”
- “I made you take time to look at what I saw, and when you took time to really notice my flowers, you hung all your associations with flowers on my flower.”
On Life and Philosophy
- “I feel there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore.”
- “The days you work are the best days.”
- “Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant. It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest.”
- “I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life—and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”
- “Interest is the most important thing in life; happiness is temporary, but interest is continuous.”
- “You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.”
- “A flower is relatively small. Everyone has many associations with a flower—the idea of flowers. Still, in a way—nobody sees a flower—really—it is so small.”
- “If you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment.”
- “I like an empty wall because I can imagine what I like on it.”
- “You will hardly believe it, but I really look forward to the time when I shall be able to paint only what I want to paint.”
On Nature in New Mexico
- “When I got to New Mexico that was mine. As soon as I saw it, that was my country. I’d never seen anything like it before, but it fitted to me exactly.”
- “I never feel lonely in the desert. There is something about the openness of it that fills me.”
- “The cliff, the trees, the flowers, the sand, the sun—they all speak differently to me than any others.”
- “Such simple things take on meaning when the wind brushes over them, the light changes, and you take the time to observe.”
- “I could see in the New Mexico landscape something that was mine as soon as I saw it.”
- “I feel that it is the only place where I can breathe naturally and quietly and feel at home.”
- “To me, New Mexico was like a world that never really seemed to have grown up, but was nevertheless filled with raw beauty.”
- “New Mexico has something that nobody else has—it gives you peace, and you feel its magic through all your senses.”
- “In New Mexico, I paint what I feel and see. I paint the bones, the rivers, the desert itself.”
- “The hills were full of sand violets, spring willows, and yucca—beautiful and still, like a song without sound.”
On Feminism and Individuality
- “I believe that it is our privilege as artists to create something so beautiful that others will stop and take notice.”
- “The men liked to put me down as the best woman painter. I think I’m one of the best painters.”
- “I would rather sit on the floor in the corner of a room for a week than do what people expect of me.”
- “I have been taught to work hard and do my best, and I am often disappointed when others don’t hold themselves to the same standard.”
- “I hate flowers. I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move.”
- “I have lived on the edge of the unbelievable, ready to pull my vision into reality.”
- “An artist is not paid for their labor but for their vision.”
- “I think that’s what art is about: understanding what you see around you in new ways.”
- “I don’t very much enjoy looking at paintings in general. I know too much about them. I take them apart.”
- “No one sees the world the way I do, and that is my strength as an artist.”
On Inspiration
- “My first memory is of the brightness of light—light all around.”
- “You paint from your subject, not what you see.”
- “I believe it was a way of bringing the sky down to me.”
- “I was always careful never to take more inspiration than I needed, knowing that over-influence can erase your originality.”
- “There’s something in the desert, some quiet pulse that calls the creative mind.”
- “Ideas are my maps. Each brushstroke feels like a journey.”
- “You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
- “I used to climb trees at home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. I painted flowers because it reminded me of them.”
- “Every part of the world is as interesting as any other if you’re willing to look closely enough.”
- “There are only a few paintings that have ever made me truly happy. I leave behind a legacy of what I struggled for.”
On Abstract Art
- “Music is more abstract than painting in many ways.”
- “I have often found that abstraction can be more real than reality.”
- “I think abstract artists help people see beyond surfaces.”
- “If you do it right, the paint speaks for itself.”
- “I don’t believe in accidents in abstract art.”
- “Abstract work shows what’s inside the artist, not just what’s on the outside of the world.”
- “Some things in life are not explainable—they are meant to be painted.”
- “Abstract forms were the language of my heart before I even found the language of the world.”
- “I paint what I feel about a thing, not necessarily what it looks like.”
- “When I look back, it’s the abstract shapes that have stayed with me as defining moments.”
On Success and Failure
- “Success doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ve made something you believe in.”
- “I don’t remember every painting; I remember how it made me feel while making it.”
- “I never thought of myself as successful, only persistent.”
- “I never lived my life thinking of the market or its approval.”
- “Some people create from desire, others from pain. For me, it was always about a kind of obsession.”
- “I want to be able to look back and say I took the risk and did it my way.”
- “People who keep trying even after they fail are the only people who will ever succeed.”
- “Failure can be as beautiful as success. It shapes you in ways success never will.”
- “I have made many paintings that never saw the light of day. They were stepping stones to where I wanted to be.”
- “Success is a relative term. You should aim for satisfaction.”
On Death and Legacy
- “I hope to leave behind a body of work that speaks long after I am gone.”
- “I believe my flowers will be remembered more than my face.”
- “Death doesn’t scare me as much as wasting time.”
- “I don’t think of death as an end but as a transition to something else.”
- “All artists leave a trail of unfinished work behind them.”
- “I often wonder what the world will think of my work once I am gone.”
- “What you leave behind isn’t important; it’s the impact you have while you’re alive.”
- “My bones will fade into the desert as my paintings endure.”
- “We have such little time to express our vision in this world.”
- “What remains of me after death is only what I’ve managed to express on canvas.”
Final Reflections
- “I paint because it makes me happy.”
- “There’s a quiet sense of satisfaction in knowing you did your best.”
- “Not every day is meant to be productive; some days are meant for stillness.”
- “I have had an adventure that many dream of but few dare to live.”
- “I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to express yourself—just do it.”
- “Art is the bridge between what we feel and what we see.”
- “I let go of rules long ago. The only rule is to trust yourself.”
- “Sometimes, letting go of control leads to the best kind of creativity.”
- “I feel closer to the stars when I paint than when I simply look at them.”
- “This life is an experiment. Make mistakes, take risks, and create what you love.”