---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the end, it doesn't really matter what…"
description: "\"In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people.\" — Chris Ofili"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png"
---

#  In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's…

![“In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people.” quote by Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png)

> “In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people.”

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The act of painting is a routine that ultimately connects us with others, transcending the work itself.

**In simple terms:** Painting connects people.

Key Takeaway

Create art to foster human connection.

Themes

community art connection

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- art classes
- collaborative murals
- social media sharing

Key Concepts

shared experience humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your art reflect personal relationships?
- In what ways can art bridge cultural gaps?

A Different Perspective

Routine may become mechanical without intention.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/)

## Related quotes

> [“You will then have to keep changing until you connect with and finally communicate in a meaningful way with the people you are proposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-bond/you-will-then-have-to-keep-changing-until-you-connect-with-and/)

[Becky Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-bond/)

> [It's important to train even if you're not batting. You just have to do that routine every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajinkya-rahane/it-s-important-to-train-even-if-you-re-not-batting-you-just-have-to/)

[Ajinkya Rahane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajinkya-rahane/)

> [My work is not about paint. It's about paint at the service of something else. It is not about gooey, chest-beating, macho '50s abstraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/my-work-is-not-about-paint-it-s-about-paint-at-the-service-of/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [It doesn't matter how the paint is put on, as long as something is said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-pollock/it-doesn-t-matter-how-the-paint-is-put-on-as-long-as-something-is-said/)

[Jackson Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-pollock/)

> [When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you - a tree, house, a field…Merely think, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/when-you-go-out-to-paint-try-to-forget-what-objects-you-have-before/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [Graffiti is like building a career. And there is a dialogue with the other artists out there mostly fellow writers because a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaws/graffiti-is-like-building-a-career-and-there-is-a-dialogue-with-the/)

[KAWS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaws/)

> [I m not Shakespeare 2 write abt U, I m not Shelley 2 Sing abt U, I m not Piccaso to Paint U, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/i-m-not-shakespeare-2-write-abt-u-i-m-not-shelley-2-sing-abt-u-i-m/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [I wanted to learn how to paint rather than just doing black-and-white work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-sienkiewicz/i-wanted-to-learn-how-to-paint-rather-than-just-doing-black-and-white/)

[Bill Sienkiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-sienkiewicz/)

> [I used to be a nanny and the kids used to laugh at me when I'd say 'Shall we paint something?' They just wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasia-demetriou/i-used-to-be-a-nanny-and-the-kids-used-to-laugh-at-me-when-i-d-say/)

[Natasia Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasia-demetriou/)

> [Try to forget what objects you have before you - a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, 'Here is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/try-to-forget-what-objects-you-have-before-you-a-tree-a-house-a-field/)

[Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/)

> [“Will you teach me how to paint?” “Just paint.” “I’m not any good.” “Do it for therapy. You can go to art school later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/will-you-teach-me-how-to-paint-just-paint-i-m-not-any-good-do-it-for/)

[Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/)

> [I never want to paint anything just to make a pretty picture. The only reason I do this is because it's an outlet, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-shawn-alexander/i-never-want-to-paint-anything-just-to-make-a-pretty-picture-the-only/)

[Jason Shawn Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-shawn-alexander/)

> [What is a portrait good for, unless it shows just how the subject was seen by the painter? In the old days before photography…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-beardsley/what-is-a-portrait-good-for-unless-it-shows-just-how-the-subject-was/)

[Aubrey Beardsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-beardsley/)

> [I am a little Jew of Vitebsk. All that I paint, all that I do, all that I am, is just the little Jew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-chagall/i-am-a-little-jew-of-vitebsk-all-that-i-paint-all-that-i-do-all-that/)

[Marc Chagall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-chagall/)

> [My writing routine is everyday I put a record on, the same one since 20 years. Then I burn a stick of incense, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/my-writing-routine-is-everyday-i-put-a-record-on-the-same-one-since/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

## More by Chris Ofili

> [I was listening to a lot of hip hop, music like Public Enemy that was about raising consciousness, and I realised I could feed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-was-listening-to-a-lot-of-hip-hop-music-like-public-enemy-that-was/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [A lot of what Trinidad is about is the feeling of the place, the atmosphere of the place, particularly at night, and the mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/a-lot-of-what-trinidad-is-about-is-the-feeling-of-the-place-the/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I've always set out to embrace all that I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-ve-always-set-out-to-embrace-all-that-i-am/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I just hope that when black people look at me, they don't see someone superhuman. They see themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-just-hope-that-when-black-people-look-at-me-they-don-t-see-someone/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [Sometimes, as I feel a door or an exit point in my work is closing, I'll try to create an opening so as not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/sometimes-as-i-feel-a-door-or-an-exit-point-in-my-work-is-closing-i/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [When I left the Royal College, I decided I would only make paintings that I would want to look at myself, that felt close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/when-i-left-the-royal-college-i-decided-i-would-only-make-paintings/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I'm black, and it's a very important part of what I am. I'm not embarrassed about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-m-black-and-it-s-a-very-important-part-of-what-i-am-i-m-not/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [The studio is a place where I can experiment before I'm prepared for an idea to become a body of work, or a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/the-studio-is-a-place-where-i-can-experiment-before-i-m-prepared-for/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [The studio is a laboratory, not a factory. An exhibition is the result of your experiments, but the process is never-ending. So an exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/the-studio-is-a-laboratory-not-a-factory-an-exhibition-is-the-result/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I wouldn't say even that I'm a broadly political person. But on occasion, I have felt that I have no choice but to paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-wouldn-t-say-even-that-i-m-a-broadly-political-person-but-on/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [There's a magic that comes from playing entirely to who you are. I've got my specialist subject - in the Mastermind sense - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/there-s-a-magic-that-comes-from-playing-entirely-to-who-you-are-i-ve/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I was brought up a Catholic and was an altar boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-was-brought-up-a-catholic-and-was-an-altar-boy/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [Change is not indecision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/change-is-not-indecision/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [I don't quite know how the urban music category came about, but I suspect it had something to do with trying to maximise sales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/i-don-t-quite-know-how-the-urban-music-category-came-about-but-i/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

> [We all studied math, but we don't go around spewing numbers. Religion should be used in the appropriate way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/we-all-studied-math-but-we-don-t-go-around-spewing-numbers-religion/)

[Chris Ofili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

[Explore all 36 Chris Ofili quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/)

## 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": "In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally with other people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Chris Ofili"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-you-paint-it-s-all-just-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-you-paint-it-s-all-just-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a9/chris-ofili-17669_art_in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what_2781594.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the end, it doesn't really matter what you paint. It's all just a routine to connect yourself finally…” — Chris Ofili",
                "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": "Chris Ofili",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ofili/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In the end, it doesn't really...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-you-paint-it-s-all-just-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ofili/in-the-end-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-you-paint-it-s-all-just-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
