--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can never be an artist if your work…" description: "\"You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem with modernink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply wr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/amy-tan-730_art_you-can-never-be-an-artist-if-your-work_2293878.jpg" --- # You can never be an artist if your work comes without… ![“You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem with modernink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply write what is swimming on the top of your brain. And the top is nothing but pond scum, dead leaves, and mosquito spawn.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/amy-tan-730_art_you-can-never-be-an-artist-if-your-work_2293878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/amy-tan-730_art_you-can-never-be-an-artist-if-your-work_2293878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/590/amy-tan-730_art_you-can-never-be-an-artist-if-your-work_2293878.jpg) > “You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem with modernink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply write what is swimming on the top of your brain. And the top is nothing but pond scum, dead leaves, and mosquito spawn.” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True art requires effort; effortless work yields shallow results. **In simple terms:** Art needs hard work; Key Takeaway Work hard for depth. Themes effort authenticity creativity Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - painting - music composition - personal projects Key Concepts Artistic integrity process quality Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance effort and inspiration? - When does effort become counterproductive? A Different Perspective Effort alone doesn't guarantee greatness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think sometimes you catch lightning in a bottle! And I think that was the case with 'The Holdovers,' we all truly got along.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/da-vine-joy-randolph/i-think-sometimes-you-catch-lightning-in-a-bottle-and-i-think-that/) [Da'Vine Joy Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/da-vine-joy-randolph/) > [“I think I'm losing my bottle. I think I'm going tonto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-think-i-m-losing-my-bottle-i-think-i-m-going-tonto/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-can-never-be-an-artist-if-your-work-comes-without-effort/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We simply write the kind of music we enjoy most and hope that our audience will enjoy it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-anderson/we-simply-write-the-kind-of-music-we-enjoy-most-and-hope-that-our/) Benny Anderson > [Once you have your character sitting right there in your head, all you really need to do is wind them up, put them down,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/once-you-have-your-character-sitting-right-there-in-your-head-all-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The kids of today have taken over the music business - most of them very young. Simply because they write and jot down a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-vallee/the-kids-of-today-have-taken-over-the-music-business-most-of-them/) [Rudy Vallee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-vallee/) > [“I have tried simply to write the best I can; sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-have-tried-simply-to-write-the-best-i-can-sometimes-i-have-good/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/for-a-long-time-now-i-have-tried-simply-to-write-the-best-i-can/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I simply write what I want, wish, long to write… The state of human life and the god or demon within. The constant internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanith-lee/i-simply-write-what-i-want-wish-long-to-write-the-state-of-human-life/) [Tanith Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanith-lee/) > [My goal as a songwriter now is to simply write some memorable turns of phrase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/my-goal-as-a-songwriter-now-is-to-simply-write-some-memorable-turns/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [I simply write with an intelligent reader in mind. I don't think about how old they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/i-simply-write-with-an-intelligent-reader-in-mind-i-don-t-think-about/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [I just simply write as it moves me. I may be writing about a book or a movie or a person, places where I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/i-just-simply-write-as-it-moves-me-i-may-be-writing-about-a-book-or-a/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [If I could have any artist's work on my sitting room wall it would probably be by Van Gogh or Picasso.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-stevenson/if-i-could-have-any-artist-s-work-on-my-sitting-room-wall-it-would/) [Juliet Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-stevenson/) > [“A GREAT PAINTER will know a great deal about how he did it, but still he will say, “How did I do it?” The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/a-great-painter-will-know-a-great-deal-about-how-he-did-it-but-still/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“The power of creativity does not just lie in an artist’s work, but also in how he or she continues to create regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-louden/the-power-of-creativity-does-not-just-lie-in-an-artist-s-work-but/) Sharon Louden ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## 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": "You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. 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