What is commonly called ugliness in nature can in art become full of beauty.

A mediocre man copying nature will never produce a work of art, because he really looks without seeing, and though he may have noted each detail minutely, the result will be flat and without character... the artist on the contrary, sees; that is to say, his eye, grafted on his heart, reads deeply into the bosom of nature.

Even with all the documents, you can never forge nature

An artist worthy of the name should express all the truth of nature, not only the exterior truth, but also, and above all, the inner truth.

The realities of nature surpass our most ambitious dreams.

Where did I learn to understand sculpture? In the woods by looking at the trees, along roads by observing the formation of clouds, in the studio by studying the model, everywhere except in the schools.

Man's naked form belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of all ages.