It wouldn't be right for me to clown around when I'm painting a president.

Travel is like a tonic to me. It's more than just getting away from the studio for a brief rest. I need it to recharge my batteries.

The '20s ended in an era of extravagance, sort of like the one we're in now. There was a big crash, but then the country picked itself up again, and we had some great years. Those were the days when American believed in itself. I was happy and proud to be painting it.

The view of life I communicate in my pictures excludes the sordid and ugly. I paint life as I would like it to be.

Some folks think I painted Lincoln from life, but I haven't been around that long. Not quite.

I'll never have enough time to paint all the pictures I'd like to.

I know of no painless process for giving birth to a picture idea. When I must produce, I retire to a quiet room with a supply of cheap paper and sharp pencils; my brain knows it's going to take a beating.