It reflects no great honor on a painter to be able to execute only one thing well -- such as a head, an academy figure, or draperies, animals, landscapes, or the like -- in other words, confining himself to some particular object of study. This is so because there is scarcely a person so devoid of genius as to fail of success if he applies himself earnestly to one branch of study and practices it continually.

Just as courage is the danger of life, so is fear its safeguard.

One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself.

King of the animals — as thou hast described him — I should rather say king of the beasts, thou being the greatest — because thou hast spared slaying them, in order that they may give thee their children for the benefit of the gullet, of which thou hast attempted to make a sepulchre for all animals; and I would say still more, if it were allowed me to speak the entire truth.

When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last that has gone before and the first of what is still to come.

We may call painting the grandchild of nature.

Old age takes in part savoury wisdom for its food - see to that your old age will not lack in nourishment.