---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be an artist, one must . . . never…"
description: "\"To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life\" — Diego Rivera"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png"
---

#  To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth…

![“To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life” quote by Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png)

> “To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life”

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

## About This Quote

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

Artists must confront truth as they see it and stay engaged with life, never avoiding reality.

**In simple terms:** Artists should face truth and stay active in life.

Key Takeaway

Live honestly and create truthfully.

Themes

art truth integrity life commitment

Mood

reflective determined

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- painting studios
- public murals
- art education
- social activism

Key Concepts

aesthetic philosophy existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define truth in your work?
- What responsibilities do artists have to society?

A Different Perspective

Some argue truth is subjective, complicating artistic expression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [the greater part of the suffering in the world is caused not by wicked intents and hard hearts, but by the careless desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marah-ellis-ryan/the-greater-part-of-the-suffering-in-the-world-is-caused-not-by/)

[Marah Ellis Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marah-ellis-ryan/)

> [You say yes to the sunlight and pure fantasies, so you have to say yes to the filth and the nausea. Everything is within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/you-say-yes-to-the-sunlight-and-pure-fantasies-so-you-have-to-say-yes/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [While President Obama shirks his responsibility to advance solutions to our fiscal challenges, he can no longer hide from the merciless math of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/while-president-obama-shirks-his-responsibility-to-advance-solutions/)

[Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/)

> [Clap! Snap! the black crack! Grip, grab! Pinch, nab! And down down to Goblin-town You go, my lad! Clash, crash! Crush, smash! Hammer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/clap-snap-the-black-crack-grip-grab-pinch-nab-and-down-down-to-goblin/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To shirk taking of vows betrays indecision and want of resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/to-shirk-taking-of-vows-betrays-indecision-and-want-of-resolution/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that… The real job of every moral teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You've got to learn to work with others. One of my main values is, you learn this system of mutual benefit. That is, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-koch/you-ve-got-to-learn-to-work-with-others-one-of-my-main-values-is-you/)

[Charles Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-koch/)

> [We have duties to others, and duties to ourselves, and we cannot shirk either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/we-have-duties-to-others-and-duties-to-ourselves-and-we-cannot-shirk/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [ \[F\]or the most part football these days is the opium of the people, not to speak of their crack cocaine. Its icon is the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/f-or-the-most-part-football-these-days-is-the-opium-of-the-people-not/)

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

> [At the height of the Cold War, when Ronald Reagan was president, the Soviets and their allies and satellites did not shirk human rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/at-the-height-of-the-cold-war-when-ronald-reagan-was-president-the/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [Leadership happens at every level of the organization and no one can shirk from this responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-junkins/leadership-happens-at-every-level-of-the-organization-and-no-one-can/)

Jerry Junkins

> [Lord, let me make this rule To think of life as school, And try my best To stand each test, And do my work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maltbie-davenport-babcock/lord-let-me-make-this-rule-to-think-of-life-as-school-and-try-my-best/)

[Maltbie Davenport Babcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maltbie-davenport-babcock/)

> [Living without expectations is hard but, when you can do it, good. Living without hope is harder, and that is bad. You have got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/living-without-expectations-is-hard-but-when-you-can-do-it-good/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [As life developed, I faced each problem as it came along. As my activities and work broadened and reached out, I never tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/as-life-developed-i-faced-each-problem-as-it-came-along-as-my/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [If something is being done on a secret basis in national security, that's a great reason for elected officials to not talk about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/if-something-is-being-done-on-a-secret-basis-in-national-security/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

## More by Diego Rivera

> [I did not know it then, but Frida had already become the most important fact in my life. And would continue to be, up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/i-did-not-know-it-then-but-frida-had-already-become-the-most/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“As I rode back to Detroit, a vision of Henry Ford's industrial empire kept passing before my eyes. In my ears, I heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/as-i-rode-back-to-detroit-a-vision-of-henry-ford-s-industrial-empire/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [Looking back upon my work today, I think the best I have done grew out of things deeply felt, the worst from a pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/looking-back-upon-my-work-today-i-think-the-best-i-have-done-grew-out/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“In my previous murals, I had tried to achieve a harmony in my painting with the architecture of the building. But to attempt such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/in-my-previous-murals-i-had-tried-to-achieve-a-harmony-in-my-painting/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [Only the work of art itself can raise the standard of taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/only-the-work-of-art-itself-can-raise-the-standard-of-taste/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [Art is like ham-it nourishes people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/art-is-like-ham-it-nourishes-people/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“I spent the two and one-half months between my meeting with the Art Commission and the beginning of my actual mural work in soaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/i-spent-the-two-and-one-half-months-between-my-meeting-with-the-art/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“From sunrise to sunset, I was in the forest, sometimes far from the house, with my goat who watched me as a mother does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/from-sunrise-to-sunset-i-was-in-the-forest-sometimes-far-from-the/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [July 13, 1954 was the most tragic day of my life. I had lost my beloved Frida forever. To late now I realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/july-13-1954-was-the-most-tragic-day-of-my-life-i-had-lost-my-beloved/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“you have to trust a TRUE compliment as muc as a critique.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/you-have-to-trust-a-true-compliment-as-muc-as-a-critique/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [“While working in California, I met William Valentiner and Edgar Richardson of the Detroit Institute of Arts. I mentioned a desire which I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/while-working-in-california-i-met-william-valentiner-and-edgar/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [The artist must try to raise the level of taste of the masses, not debase himself to the level of unformed and impoverished taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/the-artist-must-try-to-raise-the-level-of-taste-of-the-masses-not/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [My cubist paintings are my most Mexican.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/my-cubist-paintings-are-my-most-mexican/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [Every good composition is above all a work of abstraction. All good painters know this. But the painter cannot dispense with subjects altogether without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/every-good-composition-is-above-all-a-work-of-abstraction-all-good/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

> [I know now that he who hopes to be universal in his art must plant in his own soil. Great art is like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/i-know-now-that-he-who-hopes-to-be-universal-in-his-art-must-plant-in/)

[Diego Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

[Explore all 32 Diego Rivera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/)

## 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": "To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Diego Rivera"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-from-the-truth-as-he-understands/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-from-the-truth-as-he-understands/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/diego-rivera-19217_art_to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-fro_1085953.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To be an artist, one must . . . never shirk from the truth as he understands it, never withdraw from life” — Diego Rivera",
                "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": "Diego Rivera",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-rivera/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "To be an artist, one must...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-from-the-truth-as-he-understands/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-rivera/to-be-an-artist-one-must-never-shirk-from-the-truth-as-he-understands/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
