--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first did the book on gasoline…" description: "\"When I first did the book on gasoline stations, people would look at it and say, Are you kidding or what? Why are you doing this? In a sense, that's wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ff/edward-ruscha-14231_book_when-i-first-did-the-book-on-gasoline-st_2929891.jpg" --- # When I first did the book on gasoline stations, people… ![“When I first did the book on gasoline stations, people would look at it and say, Are you kidding or what? Why are you doing this? In a sense, that's what I was after: I was after the head-scratching.” quote by Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ff/edward-ruscha-14231_book_when-i-first-did-the-book-on-gasoline-st_2929891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ff/edward-ruscha-14231_book_when-i-first-did-the-book-on-gasoline-st_2929891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ff/edward-ruscha-14231_book_when-i-first-did-the-book-on-gasoline-st_2929891.jpg) > “When I first did the book on gasoline stations, people would look at it and say, Are you kidding or what? Why are you doing this? In a sense, that's what I was after: I was after the head-scratching.” [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating a book on gasoline stations was meant to provoke curiosity and confusion, challenging expectations. **In simple terms:** Provoked curiosity with unexpected subject. Key Takeaway Use surprise to engage audiences. Themes art curiosity subversion culture media Mood playful provocative Type artistic conceptual When to use this quote - Exhibitions - public talks - creative workshops Key Concepts Conceptual art public perception Questions to Reflect On - Why choose mundane subjects for art? - What does this reveal about consumer culture? A Different Perspective May be seen as trivial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Gasoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline/) [Gasoline Stations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gasoline-stations-4313322/) [Head Scratching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head-scratching-4313320/) [Kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidding/) [Kidding Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kidding-doing-4313321/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Say Kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-kidding-3845888/) [Stations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stations/) ## Related quotes > [When I've written for Bill Murray - I've written six films for him - people would read it and say, "Oh, that's so perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/when-i-ve-written-for-bill-murray-i-ve-written-six-films-for-him/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [Let's all start wearing bolo ties, and when they become hip again, we'll all say we were kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/let-s-all-start-wearing-bolo-ties-and-when-they-become-hip-again-we/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Adding 'just kidding' doesn't make it okay to insult the Principal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-cartwright/adding-just-kidding-doesn-t-make-it-okay-to-insult-the-principal/) [Nancy Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-cartwright/) > [LOL are u kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lol-are-u-kidding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm kidding about having only a few dollars. I might have a few dollars more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-brown/i-m-kidding-about-having-only-a-few-dollars-i-might-have-a-few/) [James Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-brown/) > [I'm an actress, and that's why I'm still here. Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/i-m-an-actress-and-that-s-why-i-m-still-here-anybody-who-has-the/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [I could never be a politician because at this point I would just be yelling are you fUCKING KIDDING ME](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-could-never-be-a-politician-because-at-this-point-i-would-just-be/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [In the Age of the Almighty Computer, drones are the perfect warriors. They kill without remorse, obey without kidding around, and they never reveal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/in-the-age-of-the-almighty-computer-drones-are-the-perfect-warriors/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Kidding? How am I meant to know you're kidding? You're breaking my fucking balls. -Tommy DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goodfellas/kidding-how-am-i-meant-to-know-you-re-kidding-you-re-breaking-my/) [Goodfellas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goodfellas/) > [“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” “I don’t kid about fucking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-marie-brown/you-re-fucking-kidding-me-right-i-don-t-kid-about-fucking/) [Stacey Marie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-marie-brown/) > [First day of school, walking into class, seeing who's in it & thinking to yourself, 'You've got to be f\*cking kidding me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-day-of-school-walking-into-class-seeing-who-s-in-it-thinking-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like to work and there's no movies for actors, period, especially black actors. When white actors are like, 'Man, there's no work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/i-like-to-work-and-there-s-no-movies-for-actors-period-especially/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [We make believe every day, we make our lives seem like they're still worth living, when we find out in the end it's only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/we-make-believe-every-day-we-make-our-lives-seem-like-they-re-still/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [I don't know if I'm ever going to quit playing football. I'm just kidding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-ever-going-to-quit-playing-football-i-m-just/) [Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/) > [I don't use the computer. But my secretary does. I want to take some computer courses because I'm interested in some of the access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-ertegun/i-don-t-use-the-computer-but-my-secretary-does-i-want-to-take-some/) [Ahmet Ertegun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-ertegun/) ## More by Edward Ruscha > [I don't do social media of any kind. If I did, I may as well join Scientology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-don-t-do-social-media-of-any-kind-if-i-did-i-may-as-well-join/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [When I paint a picture of a house, that goes back to my roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/when-i-paint-a-picture-of-a-house-that-goes-back-to-my-roots/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Perhaps there would be more anxiety in my work if I lived in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/perhaps-there-would-be-more-anxiety-in-my-work-if-i-lived-in-new-york/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I wasn't captivated by the romance of Paris or London. I love visiting, but I'd rather be in L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-wasn-t-captivated-by-the-romance-of-paris-or-london-i-love-visiting/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I think the most interesting stuff comes from people who've just got nothing to lose. You know, let's kamikaze this thing - just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-think-the-most-interesting-stuff-comes-from-people-who-ve-just-got/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [Yes, there's a certain power to a photograph. The camera has a way of disorienting a person, if it wants to and, for me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/yes-there-s-a-certain-power-to-a-photograph-the-camera-has-a-way-of/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [ The subject \[of Los Angeles\] became a general metaphor for anxiety and the speed of modern life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/the-subject-of-los-angeles-became-a-general-metaphor-for-anxiety-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [As an artist, I gotta stand up to my own work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/as-an-artist-i-gotta-stand-up-to-my-own-work/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I'm very stodgy. I'm always looking at old photos of California and Los Angeles, knowing that what I'm looking at is now full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-m-very-stodgy-i-m-always-looking-at-old-photos-of-california-and/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [There was no hope for any kind of big opportunity. I'm not saying it was hopeless. The big pay-off was to work as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/there-was-no-hope-for-any-kind-of-big-opportunity-i-m-not-saying-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I believe in intuition and approaching things as instant gratification. Just do the things you want to do, make the kind of pictures you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-believe-in-intuition-and-approaching-things-as-instant/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [My friends and neighbors were always fixing their cars. Soldiers who felt restless wanted to work on something, and they understood cars. Me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/my-friends-and-neighbors-were-always-fixing-their-cars-soldiers-who/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I have no social agenda with my work. I'm deadpan about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-have-no-social-agenda-with-my-work-i-m-deadpan-about-it/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [ I just use \[the camera\]. I just pick it up like an axe when I've got to chop down a tree. I pick up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-just-use-the-camera-i-just-pick-it-up-like-an-axe-when-i-ve-got-to/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) > [I knew I wanted to be some kind of artist from about 12. I met a neighbour who drew cartoons, and I had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-knew-i-wanted-to-be-some-kind-of-artist-from-about-12-i-met-a/) [Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) [Explore all 47 Edward Ruscha quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first did the book on gasoline stations, people would look at it and say, Are you kidding or what? 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