--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like things that have to do with what…" description: "\"I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant, well presented and without excessive style. In other words, just fine observation.\" — Elliott..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/elliott-erwitt-8735_elegant_i-like-things-that-have-to-do-with-what_1146640.jpg" --- # I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant… ![“I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant, well presented and without excessive style. In other words, just fine observation.” quote by Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/elliott-erwitt-8735_elegant_i-like-things-that-have-to-do-with-what_1146640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/elliott-erwitt-8735_elegant_i-like-things-that-have-to-do-with-what_1146640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cc/elliott-erwitt-8735_elegant_i-like-things-that-have-to-do-with-what_1146640.jpg) > “I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant, well presented and without excessive style. In other words, just fine observation.” [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He values authenticity, elegance, and clarity over flamboyance, preferring simple, truthful observation. **In simple terms:** Prefers simple, truthful style. Key Takeaway Seek clarity, avoid excess. Themes authenticity elegance clarity minimalism Mood calm appreciative Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - photography - product design - writing - interior decor Key Concepts aesthetics observation design Questions to Reflect On - How does simplicity enhance impact? - When is excess justified? A Different Perspective May overlook bold innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elegant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant/) [Elegant Presented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant-presented-3221214/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine/) [Fine Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-observation-2655273/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Elegant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-elegant-3221213/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Things Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-real/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Genius is but fine observation strengthened by fixity of purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/genius-is-but-fine-observation-strengthened-by-fixity-of-purpose/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The man who succeeds above his fellows is the one who early in life, clearly discerns his object, and towards that object habitually directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-man-who-succeeds-above-his-fellows-is-the-one-who-early-in-life/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I think because I try to keep things as real as I can, or I try to start from a place of reality, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/i-think-because-i-try-to-keep-things-as-real-as-i-can-or-i-try-to/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [Whenever serious and competent people need to get things done in the real world, all considerations of tradition and protocol fly out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/whenever-serious-and-competent-people-need-to-get-things-done-in-the/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [“Sometimes when things get too real, my sarcasm takes over”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/sometimes-when-things-get-too-real-my-sarcasm-takes-over/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [Sometimes you see things that are real, and other times it's like crazy, crazy, crazy, in your face, all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/sometimes-you-see-things-that-are-real-and-other-times-it-s-like/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [I keep things real simple because I know where I came from and I don't ever want to go back to that way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgerrin-james/i-keep-things-real-simple-because-i-know-where-i-came-from-and-i-don/) [Edgerrin James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgerrin-james/) > [Some things can be both real and imaginary at the same time, . . . some lies can be true, . . . broken faith may be restored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/some-things-can-be-both-real-and-imaginary-at-the-same-time-some-lies/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [I like things that are beaten up, that have lived a little. I like things that are real. I like things that are made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/i-like-things-that-are-beaten-up-that-have-lived-a-little-i-like/) [PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/) > [I recognize that I'm in a band, and part of being in a band is doing interviews, and I do have a platform so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-jane-grace/i-recognize-that-i-m-in-a-band-and-part-of-being-in-a-band-is-doing/) [Laura Jane Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-jane-grace/) > [As a comedian, I think you need to keep things real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-friedlander/as-a-comedian-i-think-you-need-to-keep-things-real/) [Judah Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-friedlander/) > [If the audience sees and feels things are real, then they buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-silver/if-the-audience-sees-and-feels-things-are-real-then-they-buy-it/) [Joel Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-silver/) > [People say to me, ‘How do I know if a word is real?’ You know, anybody who’s read a children’s book knows that love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/people-say-to-me-how-do-i-know-if-a-word-is-real-you-know-anybody-who/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) ## More by Elliott Erwitt > [Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times...I just shoot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/nothing-happens-when-you-sit-at-home-i-always-make-it-a-point-to/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I don't really have a favorite camera. I use a Leica and Canon a lot. It depends, especially professionally, on the requirements. But my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/i-don-t-really-have-a-favorite-camera-i-use-a-leica-and-canon-a-lot/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Do what the client wants, not what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/do-what-the-client-wants-not-what-you-want/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [It's just seeing - at least the photography I care about. You either see or you don't see. The rest is academic. Anyone can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-just-seeing-at-least-the-photography-i-care-about-you-either-see/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Photography is pretty simple stuff. You just react to what you see, and take many, many pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photography-is-pretty-simple-stuff-you-just-react-to-what-you-see-and/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [After following the crowd for a while, I'd then go 180 degrees in the exact opposite direction. It always worked for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/after-following-the-crowd-for-a-while-i-d-then-go-180-degrees-in-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [It's about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/it-s-about-reacting-to-what-you-see-hopefully-without-preconception/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Photography is a craft. Anyone can learn a craft with normal intelligence and application. To take it beyond the craft is something else. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photography-is-a-craft-anyone-can-learn-a-craft-with-normal/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [I see no difference between my pictures that people consider amusing and the rest. To me, it's all serious work - they're just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/i-see-no-difference-between-my-pictures-that-people-consider-amusing/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [My life has been quite interesting professionally,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/my-life-has-been-quite-interesting-professionally/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Good photography is not about Zone Printing or any other Ansel Adams nonsense. It's just about seeing. You either see or you don't see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/good-photography-is-not-about-zone-printing-or-any-other-ansel-adams/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Professionally I've evolved with what's required, but the pictures I do for pleasure haven't changed, except for the cars in the background, the clothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/professionally-i-ve-evolved-with-what-s-required-but-the-pictures-i/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Making people laugh is one of the highest achievements you can have. And when you can make someone laugh and cry, alternatively, as Chaplin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/making-people-laugh-is-one-of-the-highest-achievements-you-can-have/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [You can find pictures anywhere. It's simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what's around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/you-can-find-pictures-anywhere-it-s-simply-a-matter-of-noticing/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) [Explore all 78 Elliott Erwitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) ## More Elegant quotes > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Even if I did have, you know, a 'Sports Illustrated' body, I'd still wear elegant clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/even-if-i-did-have-you-know-a-sports-illustrated-body-i-d-still-wear/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [White makes your house more peaceful and elegant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/white-makes-your-house-more-peaceful-and-elegant/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [Not taking yourself seriously is one of the most elegant things in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/not-taking-yourself-seriously-is-one-of-the-most-elegant-things-in/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [Coming from Haiti and growing up in Brooklyn, there's a lot of European influence when I get dressed up. I wear a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyclef-jean/coming-from-haiti-and-growing-up-in-brooklyn-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Wyclef Jean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyclef-jean/) > [The acute experience of great beauty readily evokes a nameless yearning for something more than earth can offer. Elegant splendor reawakens our spirit's aching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-dubay/the-acute-experience-of-great-beauty-readily-evokes-a-nameless/) [Thomas Dubay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-dubay/) > [We endeavour to employ only symmetrical figures, such as should not only be an aid to reasoning, through the sense of sight, but should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-venn/we-endeavour-to-employ-only-symmetrical-figures-such-as-should-not/) [John Venn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-venn/) > [In mathematics, if I find a new approach to a problem, another mathematician might claim that he has a better, more elegant solution. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/in-mathematics-if-i-find-a-new-approach-to-a-problem-another/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [It is by far the most elegant worship, hardly excepting the Greek mythology. What with incense, pictures, statues, altars, shrines, relics, and the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-is-by-far-the-most-elegant-worship-hardly-excepting-the-greek/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Engineers love to optimize problems. Now I optimize logistical problems. I ask: 'What's the goal? What are our constraints? What is the optimal, elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruchi-sanghvi/engineers-love-to-optimize-problems-now-i-optimize-logistical/) [Ruchi Sanghvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruchi-sanghvi/) > [Growing up in New Jersey, bat mitzvas were all about the elegant parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-gold/growing-up-in-new-jersey-bat-mitzvas-were-all-about-the-elegant/) [Judy Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-gold/) [Browse all 507 Elegant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant, well presented and without excessive style. 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