--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You’re trying to paint things as either…" description: "\"“You’re trying to paint things as either black or white,” he said. “As either good or evil. It’s never that neat.”\" — Diane Chamberlain" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/diane-chamberlain-8652_artist_you-re-trying-to-paint-things-as-either_207248.png" --- # You’re trying to paint things as either black or white,”… ![“You’re trying to paint things as either black or white,” he said. “As either good or evil. It’s never that neat.” quote by Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/diane-chamberlain-8652_artist_you-re-trying-to-paint-things-as-either_207248.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/diane-chamberlain-8652_artist_you-re-trying-to-paint-things-as-either_207248.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bd/diane-chamberlain-8652_artist_you-re-trying-to-paint-things-as-either_207248.png) > ““You’re trying to paint things as either black or white,” he said. “As either good or evil. It’s never that neat.”” [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral judgments are rarely black and white; life is complex. **In simple terms:** Life isn’t simply good or evil. Key Takeaway Embrace nuance in moral thinking. Themes ethics complexity perception Mood thoughtful balanced Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - legal decisions - conflict resolution - creative writing Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When do we need clear moral stances? - How can we balance nuance with accountability? A Different Perspective It may underplay clear moral violations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Black or white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-or-white/) ## Related quotes > [“Things are always either black or white. The grey in between is only a confusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/things-are-always-either-black-or-white-the-grey-in-between-is-only-a/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [In movies we tend make things black and white: you're either this, or you're that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-skarsgard/in-movies-we-tend-make-things-black-and-white-you-re-either-this-or/) [Bill Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-skarsgard/) > [It's unfortunate that in an interview sometimes things can seem so black and white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/it-s-unfortunate-that-in-an-interview-sometimes-things-can-seem-so/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [I'm painting an idea not an ideal. Basically I'm trying to paint a structured painting full of controlled, and therefore potent, emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euan-uglow/i-m-painting-an-idea-not-an-ideal-basically-i-m-trying-to-paint-a/) Euan Uglow > [It was so simple to paint things as I saw them; to put without special calculation a red close to a blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/it-was-so-simple-to-paint-things-as-i-saw-them-to-put-without-special/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [I don't paint things. I only paint the difference between things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/i-don-t-paint-things-i-only-paint-the-difference-between-things/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I paint things as they are. I don't comment. I record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec/i-paint-things-as-they-are-i-don-t-comment-i-record/) [Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-de-toulouse-lautrec/) > [“There is good in bad, and bad in good. Nothing is ever all black or white,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-kagan/there-is-good-in-bad-and-bad-in-good-nothing-is-ever-all-black-or/) [Roberta Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberta-kagan/) > [It aint about black or white cause we're human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/it-aint-about-black-or-white-cause-we-re-human/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Black or White it dont matter who you are at night. What matters to me is that you will always understand me Day or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/black-or-white-it-dont-matter-who-you-are-at-night-what-matters-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think of people as out-and-out black or white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabu/i-don-t-think-of-people-as-out-and-out-black-or-white/) [Tabu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabu/) > [One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/one-can-steal-ideas-but-no-one-can-steal-execution-or-passion/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Money has no color. If you can build a better mousetrap, it won't matter whether you're black or white. People will buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-gaston/money-has-no-color-if-you-can-build-a-better-mousetrap-it-won-t/) A. G. Gaston > [It aint about black or white, coz we all human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2pac/it-aint-about-black-or-white-coz-we-all-human/) [2pac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2pac/) > [In the music industry it's just you're either Black or white, and this is the box you get put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie-2/in-the-music-industry-it-s-just-you-re-either-black-or-white-and-this/) [India.Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie-2/) ## More by Diane Chamberlain > [“They're threatened by you,' she said. 'You chose to do something they'd never have the gumption to choose for themselves. Being their own person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/they-re-threatened-by-you-she-said-you-chose-to-do-something-they-d/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“Maybe if I’d never set foot in the chapel, everything would have turned out okay. I would have learned to be satisfied with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/maybe-if-i-d-never-set-foot-in-the-chapel-everything-would-have/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“We can’t always have what we want in life. I should know that by now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/we-can-t-always-have-what-we-want-in-life-i-should-know-that-by-now/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“Two decades had passed, yet she still saw her parents' bloodied bodies in every shooting victim she treated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/two-decades-had-passed-yet-she-still-saw-her-parents-bloodied-bodies/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“...justice comes in many forms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/justice-comes-in-many-forms/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“It's not my mind that's sick... It's my soul. ...and there aren't any drugs that are gonna fix that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/it-s-not-my-mind-that-s-sick-it-s-my-soul-and-there-aren-t-any-drugs/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“But he had a story. I guess everybody did. People walked around with this thick dark film sticking to them and until you scratched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/but-he-had-a-story-i-guess-everybody-did-people-walked-around-with/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [I'd been a terrific student. I hadn't wasted a moment of my time in school, and I knew plenty about healing the troubled mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/i-d-been-a-terrific-student-i-hadn-t-wasted-a-moment-of-my-time-in/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“Let’s reframe what you’re going through, Maggie,” he said. “I’d like you to think of it as grief.” “For the people who died?” “No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/let-s-reframe-what-you-re-going-through-maggie-he-said-i-d-like-you/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“what I have with Laurel is public and shallow. What I have with you is private and deep. Which part of me would you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/what-i-have-with-laurel-is-public-and-shallow-what-i-have-with-you-is/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“There should be a public outcry about what happened to me and other women in the name of our government! But history has shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/there-should-be-a-public-outcry-about-what-happened-to-me-and-other/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“You and me," I said,"we both got the same kind of hurt inside us." She nodded, and suddenly, just like that, I knew I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/you-and-me-i-said-we-both-got-the-same-kind-of-hurt-inside-us-she/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“Do you love him? I shook my head. “I love you,” I said, before I could stop myself. He looked away from me. “A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/do-you-love-him-i-shook-my-head-i-love-you-i-said-before-i-could-stop/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“done for the last few days has been completely wrong, even though you did it with the best of intentions. This is the risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/done-for-the-last-few-days-has-been-completely-wrong-even-though-you/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“Now Sam and Noelle were dead and I was about to lost my grandpa, and I knew I would never have that everything's-right-in-my-world feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/now-sam-and-noelle-were-dead-and-i-was-about-to-lost-my-grandpa-and-i/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) [Explore all 79 Diane Chamberlain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) ## 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. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You’re trying to paint things as either black or white,” he said. “As either good or evil. 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