--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I paint the way some people write their…" description: "\"“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The fu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/francoise-gilot-21304_artist_i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their_2652784.jpg" --- # I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The… ![“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The future will choose the pages it prefers. It's not up to me to make the choice. I have the impression that the time is speading on past me more and…” quote by Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/francoise-gilot-21304_artist_i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their_2652784.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/francoise-gilot-21304_artist_i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their_2652784.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e77/francoise-gilot-21304_artist_i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their_2652784.jpg) > ““I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The future will choose the pages it prefers. It's not up to me to make the choice. I have the impression that the time is speading on past me more and more rapidly. I'm like a river that rolls on, dragging with it the trees that grow too close to its banks or dead calves one might have thrown into it or any kind of microbes that develop in it. I carry all that along with me and go on. It's the movement of painting that interests me, the dramatic movement from one effort to the next, even if those efforts are perhaps not pushed to their ultimate end. In some of my paintings I can say with certainty that the effort has been brought to its full weight and its conclusion, because there I have been able to stop the flow of time around me. I have less and less time, and yet I have more and more to say, and what I have to say is,increasingly, something about what goes on in the movement of my thought. I've reached the moment, you see, when the movement of my thought interests me more than the thought itself.”” [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The artist sees painting as a living journal, where each work records thoughts and time, and the act of creating becomes more compelling than the ideas themselves. **In simple terms:** Painting is a moving journal; the process matters more than the product. Key Takeaway Focus on the flow of creation, not just the outcome. Themes creativity process time self‑reflection Mood contemplative introspective passionate Type philosophical inspirational artistic When to use this quote - studio work - personal journaling - exhibition planning - teaching art - public talks Key Concepts artistic expression temporal perception autobiographical narrative Questions to Reflect On - How does the act of creating shape your identity? - Can you balance process with finished work? A Different Perspective The emphasis on process may neglect technical mastery or audience engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Autobiography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autobiography/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/i-paint-the-way-some-people-write-their-autobiography-the-paintings-2/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [I paint the way some people write an autobiography. 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Every action, movement, and thought follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/flow-is-being-completely-involved-in-an-activity-for-its-own-sake-the/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [I love the women's movement, and I never thought of it as belonging to any particular segment of the population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-love-the-women-s-movement-and-i-never-thought-of-it-as-belonging-to/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [I've reached the moment where the movement of my thought interests me more than the thought itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-ve-reached-the-moment-where-the-movement-of-my-thought-interests-me/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Non-operational ideas are non-behavioral and subversive. The movement of thought is stopped at barriers which appear as the limits of Reason itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/non-operational-ideas-are-non-behavioral-and-subversive-the-movement/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) ## More by Francoise Gilot > [“You have to admit that most women who do something with their lives have been disliked by almost everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/you-have-to-admit-that-most-women-who-do-something-with-their-lives/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [I'm not going to talk about Picasso. I have done my duty to those memories. I have had a great career as an artist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/i-m-not-going-to-talk-about-picasso-i-have-done-my-duty-to-those/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“What interests me is to set up what you might call the rapport de grand écart - the most unexpected relationship possible between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/what-interests-me-is-to-set-up-what-you-might-call-the-rapport-de/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“My grandmother's death had given me a heightened sense of individual solitude, of each one of us walking towards his own death, with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/my-grandmother-s-death-had-given-me-a-heightened-sense-of-individual/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“And you, you’re an angel,’ he said, scornfully, ‘but an angel from a hot place. Since I’m the devil, that makes you one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/and-you-you-re-an-angel-he-said-scornfully-but-an-angel-from-a-hot/) [Françoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“We mustn't be afraid of inventing anything...Everething there is in us exists in nature. After all, we're part of nature. If it resembles nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/we-mustn-t-be-afraid-of-inventing-anything-everething-there-is-in-us/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [I don't write diaries and things like that, but I have a fantastic memory. I call that like a magic carpet. I can really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/i-don-t-write-diaries-and-things-like-that-but-i-have-a-fantastic/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“The heart of the problem, I soon came to understand, was that with Pablo there must always be a victor and a vanquished. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/the-heart-of-the-problem-i-soon-came-to-understand-was-that-with/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“...since I realized that he (Picasso) lived in a self-enclosed world and that his solitude was therefore total, I wanted to explore my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/since-i-realized-that-he-picasso-lived-in-a-self-enclosed-world-and/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [“Pablo bijaše uvijek zaokupljen ljubavnom postojanošću Aragona i Else. Činilo se da naročito s Aragonove strane postoji potpuna odanost, gotovo kult u kome ona…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/pablo-bija-e-uvijek-zaokupljen-ljubavnom-postojano-u-aragona-i-else/) [Françoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [Matisse was my God. I'm a French artist, that's for sure. I am color-oriented and what you might call a composer. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/matisse-was-my-god-i-m-a-french-artist-that-s-for-sure-i-am-color/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [To change your mind about something is always difficult. I think that people who are big enough to admit they were wrong can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/to-change-your-mind-about-something-is-always-difficult-i-think-that/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [I really think that if I had met Picasso during peacetime, nothing would have happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/i-really-think-that-if-i-had-met-picasso-during-peacetime-nothing/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [What I like about the American woman is she usually has a lot of dynamism. In the U.S., women have a tendency to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/what-i-like-about-the-american-woman-is-she-usually-has-a-lot-of/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) > [For me, style is essentially doing things well. If you want to be outrageous, be outrageous with style. If you want to be restrained,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-gilot/for-me-style-is-essentially-doing-things-well-if-you-want-to-be/) [Francoise Gilot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) [Explore all 28 Francoise Gilot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-gilot/) ## 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. 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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": "“I paint the way some people write their autobiography. The paintings, finished or not, are the pages of my journal, and as such they are valid. The future will choose the pages it prefers. It's not up to me to make the choice. I have the impression that the time is speading on past me more and more rapidly. I'm like a river that rolls on, dragging with it the trees that grow too close to its banks or dead calves one might have thrown into it or any kind of microbes that develop in it. I carry all that along with me and go on. It's the movement of painting that interests me, the dramatic movement from one effort to the next, even if those efforts are perhaps not pushed to their ultimate end. In some of my paintings I can say with certainty that the effort has been brought to its full weight and its conclusion, because there I have been able to stop the flow of time around me. I have less and less time, and yet I have more and more to say, and what I have to say is,increasingly, something about what goes on in the movement of my thought. 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