---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Art always has something of the…"
description: "\"Art always has something of the unconscious about it.\" — D.T. Suzuki"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg"
---

#  Art always has something of the unconscious about it.

![“Art always has something of the unconscious about it.” quote by D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg)

> “Art always has something of the unconscious about it.”

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

## About This Quote

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

Art always contains elements of the unconscious mind.

**In simple terms:** Art reflects hidden mental layers.

Key Takeaway

Explore subconscious influences.

Themes

art unconscious psychology

Mood

reflective mysterious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- painting critique
- creative workshops
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

psychoanalysis aesthetics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does awareness of the unconscious change art perception?
- What techniques reveal hidden meanings?

A Different Perspective

Unconscious content may be misinterpreted.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-unconscious-1696902/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Unconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unconscious/)

## Related quotes

> [Let me see: art and activism. I can always fall back on, "the question should be, what isn't political? Everything you do is political,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/let-me-see-art-and-activism-i-can-always-fall-back-on-the-question/)

[Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/)

> [Only Art is Eternal Wisdom; what is not Art soon perishes. Art is the unconscious love of all things. ‘Learning’ will cease and Reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare/only-art-is-eternal-wisdom-what-is-not-art-soon-perishes-art-is-the/)

[Austin Osman Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare/)

> [I think so much of art is unconscious anyway, the artist doesn't know the real reason they're doing it. They're just kind of going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/i-think-so-much-of-art-is-unconscious-anyway-the-artist-doesn-t-know/)

[Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/)

> [Art is art when it is appreciated by someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isao-tomita/art-is-art-when-it-is-appreciated-by-someone/)

[Isao Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isao-tomita/)

> [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [Art is nothing; it's a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/art-is-nothing-it-s-a-way/)

[Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/)

[Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/)

> [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/)

[Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/)

> [Sorrow and happiness are the heresies of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause loss of virtue. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/sorrow-and-happiness-are-the-heresies-of-virtue-joy-and-anger-lead/)

[Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [My specialties are corpses, unconscious people and people snoring in spectacular epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gig-young/my-specialties-are-corpses-unconscious-people-and-people-snoring-in/)

[Gig Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gig-young/)

> [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

## More by D.T. Suzuki

> [The worst passion we mortals cherish is the desire to possess. Even when we know that our final destination is a hole not more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-worst-passion-we-mortals-cherish-is-the-desire-to-possess-even/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Copying is slavery. The letter must never be followed, only the spirit is to be grasped. Higher affirmations live in the spirit. And where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/copying-is-slavery-the-letter-must-never-be-followed-only-the-spirit/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Zen, in its essence is the art of seeing into the nature of one's own being, and it points the way from bondage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-in-its-essence-is-the-art-of-seeing-into-the-nature-of-one-s-own/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [The mistake consists in our splitting into two what is really and absolutely one. Is not life one as we live it, which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-mistake-consists-in-our-splitting-into-two-what-is-really-and/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Until we recognize the SELF that exists apart from who we think we are - we cannot know the Ch'an ( ZEN ) MIND](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/until-we-recognize-the-self-that-exists-apart-from-who-we-think-we/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Facts of experience are valued in Zen more than representations, symbols, and concepts-that is to say, substance is everything in Zen and form nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/facts-of-experience-are-valued-in-zen-more-than-representations/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [The claim of the Zen followers that they are transmitting the essence of Buddhism is based on their belief that Zen takes hold of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-claim-of-the-zen-followers-that-they-are-transmitting-the-essence/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [When we start to feel anxious or depressed, instead of asking, "What do I need to get to be happy?" The question becomes, "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/when-we-start-to-feel-anxious-or-depressed-instead-of-asking-what-do/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Zen abhors repetition or imitation of any kind, for it kills. For the same reason Zen never explains, but only affirms. Life is fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-abhors-repetition-or-imitation-of-any-kind-for-it-kills-for-the/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [To point at the moon a finger is needed, but woe to those who take the finger for the moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/to-point-at-the-moon-a-finger-is-needed-but-woe-to-those-who-take-the/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [One has not understood until one has forgotten it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/one-has-not-understood-until-one-has-forgotten-it/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [That's why I love philosophy: no one wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/that-s-why-i-love-philosophy-no-one-wins/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Zen opens a man's eyes to the greatest mystery as it is daily and hourly performed; it enlarges the heart to embrace eternity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-opens-a-man-s-eyes-to-the-greatest-mystery-as-it-is-daily-and/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [“Modern life seems to recede further and further away from nature, and closely connected with this fact we seem to be losing the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/modern-life-seems-to-recede-further-and-further-away-from-nature-and/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

> [Zen Makes use, to a great extent, of poetical expressions; Zen is wedded to poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/zen-makes-use-to-a-great-extent-of-poetical-expressions-zen-is-wedded/)

[D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

[Explore all 78 D.T. Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/)

## 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": "Art always has something of the unconscious about it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "D.T. Suzuki"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/art-always-has-something-of-the-unconscious-about-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/art-always-has-something-of-the-unconscious-about-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5f/d-t-suzuki-8748_art_art-always-has-something-of-the-unconsci_2788846.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Art always has something of the unconscious about it.” — D.T. Suzuki",
                "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": "D.T. Suzuki",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Art always has something of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/art-always-has-something-of-the-unconscious-about-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/art-always-has-something-of-the-unconscious-about-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
