* I picked out these Leonardo Da Vinci quotes out of many out there! These are just the ones that were the most inspiring to me, and I hope you enjoy the read!
Leonardo Da Vinci – Artist. Master. Genius.
Da Vinci is primarily known as a painter. However, his interest in the world made him a part of many other fields: invention, architecture, sculpting, writing, history and much more (learn what his signature reveals about his character)!
He had a curious mind that led him to stay remembered for many more years after he passed away.
His thirst for discovery, learning and creating is something to learn from and admire!
So let the inspiration fall upon you after reading these Leonardo Da Vinci quotes:
- Note: I suggest reading this book if you would like to learn more about Leonardo Da Vinci.
1. ” Nature is the source of all true knowledge. She has her own logic, her own laws, she has no effect without cause nor invention without necessity.”
Many artists mention that they take their inspiration in creating art from nature’s shapes, colors, and textures!
2. ” He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast. “
Practice is the key to success! However, it is better to know anatomy (for example) if you want to truly improve your drawings!
3. ” Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art “
We can put a pencil on paper and draw… Is it art? Some argue that it is, while others believe that it is just a study – or a rough draft. Art should come from your heart and soul in order to reach the level of the Mona Lisa, for example 😉
4. “Art is never finished, only abandoned. “
If you have ever created anything in an art field – you know that you can always go back to it and improve! For me, I never feel that my art piece is done and I have to give myself time limits in order to make myself stop! How do you deal with it?
5. ” Wisdom is the daughter of experience. ”
We learn from our mistakes. And mistakes happen through experiences!
6. ” Life is pretty simple: You do some stuff. Most fails. Some works. You do more of what works. If it works big, others quickly copy it. Then you do something else. The trick is the doing something else. “
I feel that this is a very important quote to remember. Many artists find their style, people love it and the artists stick with it throughout their career. In a way, it’s playing safe – you know people like it and you are good at it, so you are afraid to change things and let your followers down.
However, I think that it also stops the learning and growing process. Art is such a beautiful and huge field that one shouldn’t keep themselves from exploring it. Remember to play around and have fun!
7. ” Art lives from constraints and dies from freedom. “
There are many cases where constraints lead people to start doing art. Constraints that are social, emotional or physical. Without them, there is no appreciation of the freedom the art has to offer.
8. “A painter was asked why, since he made such beautiful figures, which were but dead things, his children were so ugly; to which the painter replied that he made his pictures by day, and his children by night. “
I just thought this was funny 🙂
9. ” That painter who has no doubts will achieve little. “
Artists you admire all went through a lot of doubts – and that is how they were able to learn and grow! Once you stop doubting your skill – you won’t be learning as hard and stop growing as an artist.
10. ” Study the science of art and the art of science. “
Did you know that Leonardo Da Vinci had a huge passion for Art and Science? He would experiment all the time in both of them. Through learning science, he was able to implement some of the principles to his art and make them so unique!
That said, I believe that the takeaway is to have hobbies not connected to art so that then you can implement them into it and create your own unique voice.
11. ” It should not be hard for you to stop sometimes and look into the stains of walls, or ashes of a fire, or clouds, or mud or like places, in which… you may find really marvellous ideas. “
Since I was a kid, I would always look at walls, floor, clouds, trees and find amazing fantasy characters. I think it’s a great exercise if you are stuck or short of ideas! Are you implementing any of these?
12. ” As you cannot do what you want, Want what you can do “
I’ve always believed that it’s up to you to decide how happy you are. It’s all in your head – try to enjoy your every day 🙂
13. ” The deeper the feeling, the greater the pain. “
No caption needed…
14. ” I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. “
I’ve got a saying for this: ” You can’t win a million dollars in a lottery if you don’t buy tickets!” The same goes with art, reading books, watching YouTube tutorials and wanting to have great results is not enough. You must practice, practice, practice and then practice some more!
15. ” Learning never exhausts the mind. “
This one is probably my favorite! Learning is fun, and that’s one of the reasons I’m writing all this for you. When I tell, explain and explore different art topics here – I learn better myself and hopefully, give you some ideas to chew on 🙂
I didn’t pick these quotes by importance or my favorites – each of us will resonate better with a different quote, but I am sure everyone can find one to remember!
So, which of the Leonardo Da Vinci quotes did you enjoy the most?
Let me know in the comments section down below!
For more inspiration, check out:
4 Responses
Hi Anna, I thoroughly enjoyed the 15 quotes of Leonardo Da Vinci and you impressions of them. It appears that he was constantly experimenting, trying to find fulfillment without getting full. His quotes appear to give pity on fulfillment as an artist must languish in incompleteness. This is just my own interpretation after reading your blog, as it has been very thought provoking. Thank you for sharing.
You got it! I have the same impression from him! And the more we learn – the more we understand that we don’t know anything!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post! And thanks for stopping by 🙂
I like the quote, “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” The rest are kind of in need of further scrutiny. I know being fascinated by art the same happens with films.
People take certain parts of the film and quote it but people seem to make their own meaning for each quote and that forgets the real meaning behind it.
Scorcese made a point of cinema when he brought up how people take out one scene and focus on it. He said the scene without the rest of the contents is pointless, however I can get the quote mentioned, especially the way you describe it. Yes an artist never truly finishes a piece but they can eventually move on from it but the words in our language change daily. So that doesn’t mean it isn’t finished it’s just that in our effort to perfect it, it never will but we need to let it go.
I never attach myself to the projects I write. I do write them with great effort. I found that if I attach myself to them I never finish anything so I always say that I will do it with lot’s of spirit and then move onto the next one. Not every project will be great but the more I do a project they greater they become.
Thank you for your feedback and stopping by 🙂
I understand what side you are coming from – practice makes masters 🙂