--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder…" description: "\"The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only col..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png" --- # The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you… ![“The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only collect things that they really love.” quote by Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png) > “The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only collect things that they really love.” [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists should gather only what truly inspires them, unlike hoarders who collect indiscriminately. **In simple terms:** Artists collect selectively. Key Takeaway Curate inspiring influences. Themes creativity collection focus Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative projects - studio organization - digital libraries - travel souvenirs Key Concepts artistic inspiration minimalism personal c Questions to Reflect On - What do you truly love to collect? - How can selective collection enhance creativity? A Different Perspective Over‑curation can limit exposure to new ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Collector Hoarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collector-hoarder-5006749/) [Collectors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectors/) [Difference Hoarders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-hoarders-5006747/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Hoarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoarder/) [Hoarders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoarders-635416/) [Hoarders Collect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoarders-collect-5006748/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [I was always a little bit of a collector and a hoarder. And whenever I got involved in anything, whatever it was - even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-graff/i-was-always-a-little-bit-of-a-collector-and-a-hoarder-and-whenever-i/) [Laurence Graff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-graff/) > [I love collecting things from auction - we Brits really are hoarders and collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-anderson/i-love-collecting-things-from-auction-we-brits-really-are-hoarders/) [Jonathan Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-anderson/) > [My dinner spot is usually in front of the TV. I'll grill a steak and whip up a salad and watch 'Hoarders'. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/my-dinner-spot-is-usually-in-front-of-the-tv-i-ll-grill-a-steak-and/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [Animal hoarding was a dirty secret until hoarders appeared on our TV screens and showed how they are compelled to collect so many dogs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/animal-hoarding-was-a-dirty-secret-until-hoarders-appeared-on-our-tv/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [“Hoarding, a passive form of cruelty, consists of individuals keeping excessive numbers of neglected animals in poor conditions, which lead to poor health, starvation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clif-flynn/hoarding-a-passive-form-of-cruelty-consists-of-individuals-keeping/) [Clif Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clif-flynn/) > [“Under the best conditions, disasters and plagues did that. It wasn’t universally true. There would always be hoarders and price gouging, people who closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-a-corey/under-the-best-conditions-disasters-and-plagues-did-that-it-wasn-t/) [James S.A. Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [I'm going through an evolution. I'm completely cleaning out my closet. I'm purging, because I saw that show 'Hoarders.' I had a sweatshirt from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergie/i-m-going-through-an-evolution-i-m-completely-cleaning-out-my-closet/) [Fergie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergie/) > [...hoarders of guilty secrets are inevitably consumed with appearances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/hoarders-of-guilty-secrets-are-inevitably-consumed-with-appearances/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [You'll never see me on Hoarders because I can't afford that much shit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-never-see-me-on-hoarders-because-i-can-t-afford-that-much-shit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a television show, 'Hoarders,' where people have those homes filled with stuff. Emotionally, in our minds, we get so filled with resentments where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/there-s-a-television-show-hoarders-where-people-have-those-homes/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I love buying things. I could be one of those crazy hoarders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chancellor/i-love-buying-things-i-could-be-one-of-those-crazy-hoarders/) [Anna Chancellor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chancellor/) > [“He was acting like one of those crazy sons of bitches that you see on an episode of Hoarders. You know, the one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-alexander/he-was-acting-like-one-of-those-crazy-sons-of-bitches-that-you-see-on/) [Ren Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-alexander/) > [“hoarders tend to be perfectionists, that each item they collect is one crucial part of an ideal world they are ever creating for themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-rae-miller/hoarders-tend-to-be-perfectionists-that-each-item-they-collect-is-one/) [Kimberly Rae Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-rae-miller/) > [“The physical as a symbol of the spiritual world. The people who keep old rags, old useless objects, who hoard, accumulate: are they also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-physical-as-a-symbol-of-the-spiritual-world-the-people-who-keep/) [Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > ['Teen Moms!' I started watching them like the first two seasons, and I stopped. I stopped because they are too young. I feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/teen-moms-i-started-watching-them-like-the-first-two-seasons-and-i/) [NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/) ## More by Austin Kleon > [“The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-thing-is-you-can-cut-off-a-couple-passions-and-only-focus-on-one/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Don't think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-think-of-your-website-as-a-self-promotion-machine-think-of-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“We want you to take from us. We want you, at first, to steal from us, because you can’t steal. You will take what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/we-want-you-to-take-from-us-we-want-you-at-first-to-steal-from-us/) [austin kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Validation is for parking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/validation-is-for-parking/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/if-you-want-fans-you-have-to-be-a-fan-first-if-you-want-to-be/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Social media sites are the perfect place to share daily updates. Don’t worry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/social-media-sites-are-the-perfect-place-to-share-daily-updates-don-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/writing-a-page-a-day-doesn-t-seem-like-much-but-do-it-for-365-days/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/be-boring-it-s-the-only-way-to-get-work-done/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/it-sounds-a-little-extreme-but-in-this-day-and-age-if-your-work-isn-t/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Don't wait until you know who you are to get started. If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/don-t-wait-until-you-know-who-you-are-to-get-started-if-i-d-waited-to/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/your-brain-gets-too-comfortable-in-your-everyday-surroundings-you/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/nothing-is-more-paralyzing-than-the-idea-of-limitless-possibilities/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Whenever Picasso learned how to do something, he abandoned it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/whenever-picasso-learned-how-to-do-something-he-abandoned-it/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“The writer Jonathan Lethem has said that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-writer-jonathan-lethem-has-said-that-when-people-call-something/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) > [“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan has adapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/stock-and-flow-is-an-economic-concept-that-writer-robin-sloan-has/) [Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) [Explore all 204 Austin Kleon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artists collect selectively. They only collect things that they really love.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Austin Kleon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder-mind-you-there-s-a-difference/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder-mind-you-there-s-a-difference/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/austin-kleon-1835_art_the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder_1416726.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there's a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately…” — Austin Kleon", "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": "Austin Kleon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The artist is a collector. Not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder-mind-you-there-s-a-difference/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-artist-is-a-collector-not-a-hoarder-mind-you-there-s-a-difference/#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 } } ] } ```