You have to have an idea of what you are going to do, but it should be a vague idea.

Whether he wants it or not, man is the instrument of nature; she imposes on him character and appearance.

The important thing is to create. Nothing else matters; creation is all.

Now there is fame! Of all - hunger, misery, the incomprehension by the public - fame is by far the worst. It is the castigation of God by the artist. It is sad. It is true.

In the end there is only Matisse.

Basically the French are all peasants.

When you are young and without success, you have only a few friends. Then, later on, when you are rich and famous, you still have a few... if you are lucky.