--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We make images to \"honor what is greater…" description: "\"We make images to \"honor what is greater and more interesting than we are.\"\" — Ansel Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg" --- # We make images to "honor what is greater and more… ![“We make images to "honor what is greater and more interesting than we are."” quote by Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg) > “We make images to "honor what is greater and more interesting than we are."” [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating images honors something greater and more interesting than ourselves, reflecting reverence through art. **In simple terms:** Art honors something beyond us. Key Takeaway Make art to celebrate the sublime. Themes art beauty humility inspiration Mood awe inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - gallery exhibitions - personal projects - educational workshops Key Concepts photography philosophy culture Questions to Reflect On - What inspires your creative reverence? - How does art elevate you? A Different Perspective May idealize the subject. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [May we, as image makers, shapers of the culture, set our sights on things we value, rituals we engage in that heal and serve.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-phillips/may-we-as-image-makers-shapers-of-the-culture-set-our-sights-on/) [Jan Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-phillips/) > [When our honor becomes greater than our moods, that is where transformation happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/when-our-honor-becomes-greater-than-our-moods-that-is-where/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [My job is to make images and leave the decision-making and conclusion-draw ing to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/my-job-is-to-make-images-and-leave-the-decision-making-and-conclusion-2/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [I usually try to make my images look like they just exist, like no effort was put into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-testino/i-usually-try-to-make-my-images-look-like-they-just-exist-like-no/) [Mario Testino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-testino/) > [I'm just trying to make images as accurately as possible off my nervous system as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-m-just-trying-to-make-images-as-accurately-as-possible-off-my/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I make images from things I find serendipitously. I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it. It could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-lowman/i-make-images-from-things-i-find-serendipitously-i-don-t-know-what-it/) [Nate Lowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-lowman/) > [My job is to make images and leave the decision-making and conclusion-drawing to other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/my-job-is-to-make-images-and-leave-the-decision-making-and-conclusion/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [To make images is a way of ordering one's world, of exploring and understanding one's relationship to existence. ... The images we make are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-blakemore/to-make-images-is-a-way-of-ordering-one-s-world-of-exploring-and/) John Blakemore > [You see someone like maybe William Eggleston. William doesn't even really talk about what he does; he just wants to make these images. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/you-see-someone-like-maybe-william-eggleston-william-doesn-t-even/) [Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/) > [I am a photographer who likes to make images, but I also want to get a sense and understanding of images that have already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-am-a-photographer-who-likes-to-make-images-but-i-also-want-to-get-a/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [I try to make images that have the immediate presence we take for granted in objects - a chair, a shoe, a book, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-craig-martin/i-try-to-make-images-that-have-the-immediate-presence-we-take-for/) [Michael Craig-Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-craig-martin/) > [ \[We\] make images to see clearly: then we see clearly what we have made. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/we-make-images-to-see-clearly-then-we-see-clearly-what-we-have-made/) [Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/) > [With Othello, Shakespeare posed this problem of a black man in a white society in the role that he's playing. And Shakespeare gave Othello…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/with-othello-shakespeare-posed-this-problem-of-a-black-man-in-a-white/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [The greater the power that deigns to serve you, the more honor it demands of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-greater-the-power-that-deigns-to-serve-you-the-more-honor-it/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honor than if you were to play a concert on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/if-you-are-called-upon-to-play-a-church-service-it-is-a-greater-honor/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) ## More by Ansel Adams > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [It is easy to take a photograph, but it is harder to make a masterpiece in photography than in any other art medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/it-is-easy-to-take-a-photograph-but-it-is-harder-to-make-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Black and white photography is truly quite a 'departure from reality', and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/black-and-white-photography-is-truly-quite-a-departure-from-reality/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Wilderness is rapidly becoming one of those aspects of the American dream which is more of the past than of the present. Wilderness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/wilderness-is-rapidly-becoming-one-of-those-aspects-of-the-american/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-single-most-important-component-of-a-camera-is-the-twelve-inches/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photographers and artists contribute a lot to the world and have a right to exist in relative security and comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photographers-and-artists-contribute-a-lot-to-the-world-and-have-a/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [There are worlds of experience beyond the world of the aggressive man, beyond history, and beyond science. The moods and qualities of nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/there-are-worlds-of-experience-beyond-the-world-of-the-aggressive-man/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term-meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-have-often-thought-that-if-photography-were-difficult-in-the-true/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/yosemite-valley-to-me-is-always-a-sunrise-a-glitter-of-green-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To visualize an image (in whole or in part) is to see clearly in the mind prior to exposure, a continuous projection from composing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-visualize-an-image-in-whole-or-in-part-is-to-see-clearly-in-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To the vast majority of people a photograph is an image of something within their direct experience: a more-or-less factual reality. It is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-the-vast-majority-of-people-a-photograph-is-an-image-of-something/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [Photograph not only what you see but also what you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/photograph-not-only-what-you-see-but-also-what-you-feel/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is thereby a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/a-great-photograph-is-a-full-expression-of-what-one-feels-about-what/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [To photograph truthfully and effectively is to see beneath the surfaces and record the qualities of nature and humanity which live or are latent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/to-photograph-truthfully-and-effectively-is-to-see-beneath-the/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [ The \[35mm\] camera is for life and for people, the swift and intense moments of life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/the-35mm-camera-is-for-life-and-for-people-the-swift-and-intense/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) [Explore all 154 Ansel Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More Greater quotes > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [When you stop a dictator, there are always risks. But there are greater risks in not stopping a dictator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/when-you-stop-a-dictator-there-are-always-risks-but-there-are-greater/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [The unexpressed is always of greater value than the expressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zona-gale/the-unexpressed-is-always-of-greater-value-than-the-expressed/) [Zona Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zona-gale/) > [Life takes hold of us with strong hands and makes us greater than we thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-canfield-fisher/life-takes-hold-of-us-with-strong-hands-and-makes-us-greater-than-we/) [Dorothy Canfield Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-canfield-fisher/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [I think that as a writer your responsibility is to search for and stir up the things that are in this world. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-that-as-a-writer-your-responsibility-is-to-search-for-and/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [In comparative terms, there's no poverty in America by a long shot. Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [No greater victory can be won by citizens or soldiers than to transform temporary foes into permanent friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/no-greater-victory-can-be-won-by-citizens-or-soldiers-than-to/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [What greater insult can you give God than to take your own life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thibodeau/what-greater-insult-can-you-give-god-than-to-take-your-own-life/) [David Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thibodeau/) Browse all 5,587 Greater quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We make images to \"honor what is greater and more interesting than we are.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ansel Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Greater" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f39/ansel-adams-2687_greater_we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater_139401.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We make images to \"honor what is greater and more interesting than we are.\"” — Ansel Adams", "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": "Ansel Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We make images to \"honor what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-make-images-to-honor-what-is-greater-and-more-interesting-than-we/#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 } } ] } ```