--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We painted a beautiful picture, but we…" description: "\"We painted a beautiful picture, but we just didn't finish it. Finishing is the difference between a beautiful picture and a masterpiece.\" — Don Meyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/don-meyer-7312_artist_we-painted-a-beautiful-picture-but-we-ju_660226.png" --- # We painted a beautiful picture, but we just didn't finish… ![“We painted a beautiful picture, but we just didn't finish it. Finishing is the difference between a beautiful picture and a masterpiece.” quote by Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/don-meyer-7312_artist_we-painted-a-beautiful-picture-but-we-ju_660226.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/don-meyer-7312_artist_we-painted-a-beautiful-picture-but-we-ju_660226.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44e/don-meyer-7312_artist_we-painted-a-beautiful-picture-but-we-ju_660226.png) > “We painted a beautiful picture, but we just didn't finish it. Finishing is the difference between a beautiful picture and a masterpiece.” [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finishing a project transforms good work into something exceptional, highlighting the importance of completion over mere effort. **In simple terms:** Completion turns good into great. Key Takeaway Finish what you start. Themes commitment perseverance excellence Mood determined inspired Type motivational practical When to use this quote - team projects - artistic endeavors - academic research - personal goals Key Concepts goal attainment process vs. product Questions to Reflect On - What project could become a masterpiece if completed? - How do you prioritize finishing over starting? A Different Perspective Finishing may require additional resources or time not always available. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beautiful picture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-picture/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Masterpiece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masterpiece/) ## Related quotes > [You finish the damn match, point blank, period. That's it, and I always finish, even if I'm finishing on my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-amore/you-finish-the-damn-match-point-blank-period-that-s-it-and-i-always/) [Enzo Amore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-amore/) > [For me, it is important to take gaps after finishing a project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vatsal-sheth/for-me-it-is-important-to-take-gaps-after-finishing-a-project/) [Vatsal Sheth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vatsal-sheth/) > [“Any work is always improvable, you cannot really finish the work, you can only abandon it out of tiredness or incompetence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/any-work-is-always-improvable-you-cannot-really-finish-the-work-you/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“Starting something can be easy, it is finishing it that is the highest hurdle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-poretsis/starting-something-can-be-easy-it-is-finishing-it-that-is-the-highest/) Isabella Poretsis > [“I’m obsessed with finishing as a skill. Over the years, I’ve realized that so many of the good things that have come my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-yu/i-m-obsessed-with-finishing-as-a-skill-over-the-years-i-ve-realized/) Derek Yu > [“You won't get it done if you don't get started. You won't finish up if you are not fired up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/you-won-t-get-it-done-if-you-don-t-get-started-you-won-t-finish-up-if/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/) [Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/) > [They are called finishing-schools and the name tells accurately what they are. They finish everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/they-are-called-finishing-schools-and-the-name-tells-accurately-what/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“As your training integrates Mind, Body and Spirit, enjoy the process. Your journey to the marathon finish will last a few hours. Your journey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-greenlee/as-your-training-integrates-mind-body-and-spirit-enjoy-the-process/) [Gina Greenlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-greenlee/) > [My pictures really finish themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hodgkin/my-pictures-really-finish-themselves/) [Howard Hodgkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hodgkin/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Don't start shit you can't finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden/don-t-start-shit-you-can-t-finish/) [Jaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden/) > [There isn't one thing in particular; rather, a lot of different things give me inspiration. I tend to come up with tunes when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-shimomura/there-isn-t-one-thing-in-particular-rather-a-lot-of-different-things/) Yoko Shimomura > [Every day look at a beautiful picture, read a beautiful poem, listen to some beautiful music, and if possible, say some reasonable thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/every-day-look-at-a-beautiful-picture-read-a-beautiful-poem-listen-to/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [We are like two sides to a puzzle never coming together until now, but once together, a beautiful picture came from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-like-two-sides-to-a-puzzle-never-coming-together-until-now-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Don Meyer > [Every day you teach attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/every-day-you-teach-attitude/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Proper prior planning prevents pitiful poor performance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/proper-prior-planning-prevents-pitiful-poor-performance/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [It doesn't matter where you coach, it matters why you coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/it-doesn-t-matter-where-you-coach-it-matters-why-you-coach/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Sometimes the best recruits are the ones you don't get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/sometimes-the-best-recruits-are-the-ones-you-don-t-get/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [You never realize the value of coaching until your children play for a coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/you-never-realize-the-value-of-coaching-until-your-children-play-for/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Discover your gift, develop your gift and then give it away every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/discover-your-gift-develop-your-gift-and-then-give-it-away-every-day/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [When the legs go, the heart and the head follow quickly behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/when-the-legs-go-the-heart-and-the-head-follow-quickly-behind/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Your program must have an overriding purpose which is clearly visible and which teaches lessons beyond winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/your-program-must-have-an-overriding-purpose-which-is-clearly-visible/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [If you are a good team, your offense is born on the defensive end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/if-you-are-a-good-team-your-offense-is-born-on-the-defensive-end/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Habits are critical for players. They cannot think and play well at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/habits-are-critical-for-players-they-cannot-think-and-play-well-at/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [When I go in for heart surgery, I want a full-time surgeon. I don't want some guy who just does it part-time between rounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/when-i-go-in-for-heart-surgery-i-want-a-full-time-surgeon-i-don-t/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [If you want to thank me, go do something for somebody else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/if-you-want-to-thank-me-go-do-something-for-somebody-else/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Parents would rather have their son get all-state than his team win the state championship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/parents-would-rather-have-their-son-get-all-state-than-his-team-win/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Quickness more than anything else should determine your amount of pressure on the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/quickness-more-than-anything-else-should-determine-your-amount-of/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [If you have to 'try hard' to 'try hard, you are already beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/if-you-have-to-try-hard-to-try-hard-you-are-already-beaten/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) [Explore all 92 Don Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) ## 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": "We painted a beautiful picture, but we just didn't finish it. 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