--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think people have to be given - or take…" description: "\"I think people have to be given - or take - the permission to say that something is nothing. Just because it's in a museum doesn't mean it's anything.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/david-salle-11131_artist_i-think-people-have-to-be-given-or-take_390447.jpg" --- # I think people have to be given - or take - the permission… ![“I think people have to be given - or take - the permission to say that something is nothing. Just because it's in a museum doesn't mean it's anything.” quote by David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/david-salle-11131_artist_i-think-people-have-to-be-given-or-take_390447.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/david-salle-11131_artist_i-think-people-have-to-be-given-or-take_390447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc5/david-salle-11131_artist_i-think-people-have-to-be-given-or-take_390447.jpg) > “I think people have to be given - or take - the permission to say that something is nothing. Just because it's in a museum doesn't mean it's anything.” [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art’s value isn’t guaranteed by its location; meaning is subjective and contextual. **In simple terms:** Museum pieces aren’t automatically important. Key Takeaway Question the significance of what you see. Themes art perception meaning Mood critical curious Type philosophical contemplative When to use this quote - museum visits - gallery tours - public art - online exhibitions Key Concepts aesthetics subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - Why do you assign value to certain objects? - Can an object be meaningful without a museum? A Different Perspective Not all viewers will agree on value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [On the other end of the spectrum, we can't use this permission to sometimes say no and use it as a wand to wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/on-the-other-end-of-the-spectrum-we-can-t-use-this-permission-to/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [When you walk past a painting in a museum, if it doesn't make you feel something, then it's probably a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-barris/when-you-walk-past-a-painting-in-a-museum-if-it-doesn-t-make-you-feel/) [Kenya Barris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-barris/) > [“Let today mark a new beginning for you. Give yourself permission to say NO without feeling guilty, mean, or selfish. Anybody who gets upset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/let-today-mark-a-new-beginning-for-you-give-yourself-permission-to/) [Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/) > [A theater without beer is just a museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/a-theater-without-beer-is-just-a-museum/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [“Is something art just because a museum hangs it on their wall? Are you networking just because you’re standing in a crowded room? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/is-something-art-just-because-a-museum-hangs-it-on-their-wall-are-you/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [What does culture mean? It's not a physical thing. I love a museum, but that, for me, doesn't make you a better person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karamo-brown/what-does-culture-mean-it-s-not-a-physical-thing-i-love-a-museum-but/) [Karamo Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karamo-brown/) > [I do wish I could have given myself permission to really name and own the me of me earlier in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-dolezal/i-do-wish-i-could-have-given-myself-permission-to-really-name-and-own/) [Rachel Dolezal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-dolezal/) > [I have been given permission to announce that I and others from 'All My Children' have been approached by the company Prospect Park, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-mathison/i-have-been-given-permission-to-announce-that-i-and-others-from-all/) [Cameron Mathison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-mathison/) > [I don't think any one person, whether artist or not, has been given permission by anyone to put the responsibility of the way things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/i-don-t-think-any-one-person-whether-artist-or-not-has-been-given/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) > [“It had been so long since she’d given herself permission to just feel without thinking, to act without discussing the consequences. And yeah, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-braemel/it-had-been-so-long-since-she-d-given-herself-permission-to-just-feel/) [Leah Braemel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-braemel/) > [To be given permission to be confused -- and remain confused -- for as long as it takes would have been a huge gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/to-be-given-permission-to-be-confused-and-remain-confused-for-as-long/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [What is it that you're not doing - in your work, in your life - because you feel you need permission? If someone had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-musk/what-is-it-that-you-re-not-doing-in-your-work-in-your-life-because/) [Justine Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-musk/) > ["I'm going to show you I haven't given you permission because clearly you're not grown up enough to understand that, not having given you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leo/i-m-going-to-show-you-i-haven-t-given-you-permission-because-clearly/) [Melissa Leo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leo/) > [“Alex grinned. “That means we’re good to go—she’s given her permission,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/alex-grinned-that-means-we-re-good-to-go-she-s-given-her-permission/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [Hope does not leave without being given permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hope-does-not-leave-without-being-given-permission/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## More by David Salle > [What most paintings do is give you a path for your eye to move around. The painting actually tells your eye, go here, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/what-most-paintings-do-is-give-you-a-path-for-your-eye-to-move-around/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [I've always read, I've always admired writers and was lucky really to meet some extraordinary ones and become friends. Certain times you just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-ve-always-read-i-ve-always-admired-writers-and-was-lucky-really-to/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [Truth is, I didn't know what the hell I was doing when I got out of Cal Arts. I think I wasted a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/truth-is-i-didn-t-know-what-the-hell-i-was-doing-when-i-got-out-of/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [I feel that the only thing that really matters in art and life is to go against the tidal wave of literalism and literal-mindedness-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-feel-that-the-only-thing-that-really-matters-in-art-and-life-is-to/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [Since I moved six or seven times the first year I was in New York, I had to be able to roll up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/since-i-moved-six-or-seven-times-the-first-year-i-was-in-new-york-i/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [People are still making paintings. People are still enjoying paintings, looking at paintings. Paintings still have something to tell us. There's a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/people-are-still-making-paintings-people-are-still-enjoying-paintings/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [I feel like all the American artists are aesthetically not very interesting and mired in a complaining relationship to its own culture, whereas the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-feel-like-all-the-american-artists-are-aesthetically-not-very/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [There are so many different ways to talk and think about art. We just spoke about when attitude becomes form. But when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/there-are-so-many-different-ways-to-talk-and-think-about-art-we-just/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [I started when I was nine. Really, everything I know about color theory, composition, drawing, and painting, I learned when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-started-when-i-was-nine-really-everything-i-know-about-color-theory/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [If you go to a concert, you will notice, is it loud? Is the music fast? Is it predominately strings or brass? There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/if-you-go-to-a-concert-you-will-notice-is-it-loud-is-the-music-fast/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [I was actually dumbfounded by how some artists talked to each other. For example, it was a normal night at a bar, nothing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/i-was-actually-dumbfounded-by-how-some-artists-talked-to-each-other/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [What if everything in a museum is crap? It's entirely possible; it's not the end of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/what-if-everything-in-a-museum-is-crap-it-s-entirely-possible-it-s/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [“good art illustrates anything at all, it’s likely to be a story you didn’t even know needed telling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/good-art-illustrates-anything-at-all-it-s-likely-to-be-a-story-you/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [“How a painter treats this edge is the real subject of realist painting; how the brush behaves in the vicinity of an edge gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/how-a-painter-treats-this-edge-is-the-real-subject-of-realist/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) > [Once established, a successful style looks like an inevitability - maybe that's the definition of a successful style - but there's often the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-salle/once-established-a-successful-style-looks-like-an-inevitability-maybe/) [David Salle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) [Explore all 61 David Salle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-salle/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“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 > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [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 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/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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