--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost…" description: "\"Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost out if he had spent only 2 of the 4 or 5 years he took to complete it. It is thinking about him and Ryder, am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/e-j-hughes-21207_awful_leonardo-s-mona-lisa-sure-would-have-los_2207305.jpg" --- # Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost out if he had… ![“Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost out if he had spent only 2 of the 4 or 5 years he took to complete it. It is thinking about him and Ryder, among others, that partly makes me feel so awful to send away a 'half-baked' painting.” quote by E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/e-j-hughes-21207_awful_leonardo-s-mona-lisa-sure-would-have-los_2207305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/e-j-hughes-21207_awful_leonardo-s-mona-lisa-sure-would-have-los_2207305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/e-j-hughes-21207_awful_leonardo-s-mona-lisa-sure-would-have-los_2207305.jpg) > “Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost out if he had spent only 2 of the 4 or 5 years he took to complete it. It is thinking about him and Ryder, among others, that partly makes me feel so awful to send away a 'half-baked' painting.” [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Spending less time on a masterpiece can lead to regret over unfinished potential. **In simple terms:** Rushing art causes later remorse. Key Takeaway Allocate sufficient time for creative work. Themes art regret perfectionism Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - painting commissions - personal projects - learning new skills Key Concepts creative process time investment Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when a work is complete? - What limits does time impose on creativity? A Different Perspective Even with ample time, inspiration may still wane. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Leonardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leonardo/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Lost Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-spent-336058/) [Mona lisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mona-lisa/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-ryder-2829928/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-took-287173/) ## Related quotes > [“Before I knew it, my daily schedule had started to look a lot like this: Monday: Woke up, thought of Ryder; went to school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-wray/before-i-knew-it-my-daily-schedule-had-started-to-look-a-lot-like/) [Ramona Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-wray/) > [“There have been, of course, many other insatiable polymaths, and even the Renaissance produced other Renaissance Men. But none painted the Mona Lisa, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-have-been-of-course-many-other-insatiable-polymaths-and-even/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [How could we possibly appreciate the Mona Lisa if Leonardo had written at the bottom of the canvas: 'The lady is smiling because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/how-could-we-possibly-appreciate-the-mona-lisa-if-leonardo-had/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [Leonardo's Mona Lisa is just a thousand thousand smears of paint. Michelangelo's David is just a million hits with a hammer. We're all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/leonardo-s-mona-lisa-is-just-a-thousand-thousand-smears-of-paint/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I had this relationship with the Mona Lisa painting and I thought it was important to look further. In a time that was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fab-moretti/i-had-this-relationship-with-the-mona-lisa-painting-and-i-thought-it/) [Fab Moretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fab-moretti/) > [The Mona Lisa, to me, is the greatest emotional painting ever done. The way the smile flickers makes it a work of both art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-mona-lisa-to-me-is-the-greatest-emotional-painting-ever-done-the/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [I count all that part of my life lost which I spent not in communion with God, or in doing good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/i-count-all-that-part-of-my-life-lost-which-i-spent-not-in-communion/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Not an hour is lost that is spent in the saddle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/not-an-hour-is-lost-that-is-spent-in-the-saddle/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I had the chance to be governor for eight years and I took a year to transition out and a year to transition in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-had-the-chance-to-be-governor-for-eight-years-and-i-took-a-year-to/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Mike Judge, who I've become friends with over the years never took himself seriously as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-griffith/mike-judge-who-i-ve-become-friends-with-over-the-years-never-took/) [Bill Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-griffith/) > [It was a slow process. You gotta remember I hadn't recorded a song sober in seven years. So it took me awhile to even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/it-was-a-slow-process-you-gotta-remember-i-hadn-t-recorded-a-song/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [I had been off TV for seven-eight years, and I took up 'Khatron Ke Khiladi' on an impulse. I wanted to do something adventurous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranvir-shorey/i-had-been-off-tv-for-seven-eight-years-and-i-took-up-khatron-ke/) [Ranvir Shorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranvir-shorey/) > [ “By the age of twenty-five, \[Louis T. Wigfall\] had managed to squander his considerable inheritance, settle three affairs of honor on the dueling ground,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-goodheart/by-the-age-of-twenty-five-louis-t-wigfall-had-managed-to-squander-his/) [Adam Goodheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-goodheart/) > [During the couple of years it took to write 'At The Bottom of Everything', I decided, on the sort of hopeful whim that occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-dolnick/during-the-couple-of-years-it-took-to-write-at-the-bottom-of/) [Ben Dolnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-dolnick/) ## More by E. J. Hughes > [Unfortunately when I start to talk or when someone watches over my shoulders my pencil either stops or I draw meaningless lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/unfortunately-when-i-start-to-talk-or-when-someone-watches-over-my/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [The primitive style makes nature look like stage scenery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/the-primitive-style-makes-nature-look-like-stage-scenery/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [It takes more time to rework a painting than it takes to fill in the canvas in the first place. I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/it-takes-more-time-to-rework-a-painting-than-it-takes-to-fill-in-the/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [I hope my work isn't dismissed by the critics as illustration or photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/i-hope-my-work-isn-t-dismissed-by-the-critics-as-illustration-or/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [At present I am using a good sized bedroom in the 2 bedroom house here as a studio, and it is large enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/at-present-i-am-using-a-good-sized-bedroom-in-the-2-bedroom-house/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [It is... treading on dangerous ground to paint the picturesque as I am at times doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/it-is-treading-on-dangerous-ground-to-paint-the-picturesque-as-i-am/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [I felt landscapes would sell more readily, and not being equipped psychologically to be a teacher or commercial artist, that was important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/i-felt-landscapes-would-sell-more-readily-and-not-being-equipped/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [I am hoping that, with the added wisdom of old age, I can still look ahead for an improvement in tone, line, colour and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/i-am-hoping-that-with-the-added-wisdom-of-old-age-i-can-still-look/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [It feels much better to me to think that an artist is working to show his appreciation of what already has been created than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/it-feels-much-better-to-me-to-think-that-an-artist-is-working-to-show/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [I feel that when I am painting, it is a form of worship. I see how wonderful nature is and how wonderful art is...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/i-feel-that-when-i-am-painting-it-is-a-form-of-worship-i-see-how/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [The small figures that appear in my paintings are there only because they were there when I was working from nature on my preliminary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/the-small-figures-that-appear-in-my-paintings-are-there-only-because/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [It is definitely mostly due to the invention of the camera that all this design and emphasized paint quality have come into painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/it-is-definitely-mostly-due-to-the-invention-of-the-camera-that-all/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [If I didn't have a conviction that a serious painter can portray Nature more profoundly than the best colour photography, I'd probably give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/if-i-didn-t-have-a-conviction-that-a-serious-painter-can-portray/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [Worry, about the 'thousand and one' details entailed. My one-track mind has to be relieved of these worries completely or I cannot get started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/worry-about-the-thousand-and-one-details-entailed-my-one-track-mind/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) > [One of the main reasons I paint is because I think nature is so wonderful. I want to try to get my feelings of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-hughes/one-of-the-main-reasons-i-paint-is-because-i-think-nature-is-so/) [E. J. Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) [Explore all 29 E. J. Hughes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-j-hughes/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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. 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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": "Leonardo's Mona Lisa sure would have lost out if he had spent only 2 of the 4 or 5 years he took to complete it. It is thinking about him and Ryder, among others, that partly makes me feel so awful to send away a 'half-baked' painting.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. J. 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