Art happens-no hovel is safe from it, no prince may depend upon it, the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about.

An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision.

Nature contains the elements, in colour and form, of all pictures, as the keyboard contains the notes of all music. But the artists is born to pick, and choose, and group with science, these elements, that the result may be beautiful - as the musician gathers his notes, and forms his chords, until he brings forth from chaos glorious harmony

Nature is very rarely right, to such an extent even, that it might almost be said that nature is usually wrong.

I am not arguing with you - I am telling you.

Work alone will efface the footsteps of work.

Art should be independent of all clap-trap - should stand alone, and appeal to the artistic sense of eye or ear, without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it, as devotion, pity, love, patriotism and the like. All these have no kind of concern with it; and that is why I insist on calling my works 'arrangements' and 'harmonies.