--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: artists try to say things that can't be…" description: "\"artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling; a taste; a painful longing...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png" --- # artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile… ![“artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling; a taste; a painful longing. but the net is always too porous, and we are left with the sweet frustration of almost knowing, which is teasingly pleasurable.” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png) > “artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling; a taste; a painful longing. but the net is always too porous, and we are left with the sweet frustration of almost knowing, which is teasingly pleasurable.” [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists attempt to express the inexpressible, but language and medium are imperfect, leaving a bittersweet sense of near‑understanding. **In simple terms:** Art tries to convey the impossible, but falls short, creating a sweet frustration. Key Takeaway Embrace the imperfect, find joy in the attempt. Themes creativity expression frustration beauty Mood melancholic hopeful Type artistic reflective When to use this quote - painting - dance - music - theatre - film Key Concepts aesthetics communication subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does the limits of language shape your art? - What does the “sweet frustration” teach you about desire? A Different Perspective The medium can never fully capture the intended feeling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Frustration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) ## Related quotes > [The whole of nature is an endless demonstration of shape and form. It always surprises me when artists try to escape from this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/the-whole-of-nature-is-an-endless-demonstration-of-shape-and-form-it/) [Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/) > [I think that a lot of times you have artists that try to deliver a positive message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-daddy-kane/i-think-that-a-lot-of-times-you-have-artists-that-try-to-deliver-a/) [Big Daddy Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-daddy-kane/) > [There is a desperate tendency to try to legislate artists, to try to lay down rules for their obligations to society. Just leave artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/there-is-a-desperate-tendency-to-try-to-legislate-artists-to-try-to/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [Artists try to ask questions, and within our society, unless there are artists, those questions don't get asked. And everybody blames the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-weiner/artists-try-to-ask-questions-and-within-our-society-unless-there-are/) [Lawrence Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-weiner/) > [When artists try to do a whole album by themselves, the songs start to sound similar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/when-artists-try-to-do-a-whole-album-by-themselves-the-songs-start-to/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [“Artists try to depict people; and people depict the artist's' conception of people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waguih-ghali/artists-try-to-depict-people-and-people-depict-the-artist-s/) [Waguih Ghali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waguih-ghali/) > [Internet has considerably changed the rules. Some artists do not try to become celebrities: the internet does the job for them and makes them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-clayderman/internet-has-considerably-changed-the-rules-some-artists-do-not-try/) [Richard Clayderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-clayderman/) > [Artists always try to make something that is going to be relevant and up-to-the-minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lepage/artists-always-try-to-make-something-that-is-going-to-be-relevant-and/) [Robert Lepage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lepage/) > [Most artists try to avoid cliches, but it's pretty hard to avoid them if you yourself end up being one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/most-artists-try-to-avoid-cliches-but-it-s-pretty-hard-to-avoid-them/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) > [I think we're very much in a mystery here in this life and that artists try to pierce the mystery with their art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-think-we-re-very-much-in-a-mystery-here-in-this-life-and-that/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) > [I think you have some artists who try to be as conscious as they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheem-devaughn/i-think-you-have-some-artists-who-try-to-be-as-conscious-as-they-can/) [Raheem DeVaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheem-devaughn/) > [So many artists try to be something that they're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-van-zant/so-many-artists-try-to-be-something-that-they-re-not/) [Johnny Van Zant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-van-zant/) > [...if photos can reproduce the world more perfectly than any painter, can capture an instant, a look, a gesture, then what makes a painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/if-photos-can-reproduce-the-world-more-perfectly-than-any-painter-can/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“Now, as I expect you know, there is nothing more cruel than talk, and there is nothing more difficult to combat. When people say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/now-as-i-expect-you-know-there-is-nothing-more-cruel-than-talk-and/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“And better still to be alone with one’s books. They tell their incredible stories at the time when you want to hear them. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-better-still-to-be-alone-with-one-s-books-they-tell-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Alan Alda > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) [Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to capture a feeling; a taste; a painful longing. but the net is always too porous, and we are left with the sweet frustration of almost knowing, which is teasingly pleasurable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Alda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be-said-in-a-fragile-net-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be-said-in-a-fragile-net-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d1/alan-alda-1859_art_artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be_1111466.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“artists try to say things that can't be said. in a fragile net of words, gestures, or colors, we hope to…” — Alan Alda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Alda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "artists try to say things that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be-said-in-a-fragile-net-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/artists-try-to-say-things-that-can-t-be-said-in-a-fragile-net-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```