---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know I draw without taking my pen off…"
description: "\"I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and that my drawings I think of them as scribbles. I don't think they mean anythin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png"
---

#  I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just…

![“I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and that my drawings I think of them as scribbles. I don't think they mean anything to anybody except to me, and then at the end of the day, the end of the project, they wheel out these little drawings and they're damn close to…” quote by Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png)

> “I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and that my drawings I think of them as scribbles. I don't think they mean anything to anybody except to me, and then at the end of the day, the end of the project, they wheel out these little drawings and they're damn close to what the finished building is and it's the drawing...”

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The creator continuously sketches, treating each line as a provisional idea, which unexpectedly aligns closely with the final structure.

**In simple terms:** Sketches evolve into precise designs.

Key Takeaway

Embrace iterative drawing to reveal hidden solutions.

Themes

creativity process architecture

Mood

inspired reflective

Type

practical inspirational

When to use this quote

- conceptual design
- client presentations
- design workshops
- problem solving

Key Concepts

iteration visual thinking spontaneity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can spontaneous sketches guide complex projects?
- What role does intuition play in design?

A Different Perspective

Sketches may lack precision, requiring later refinement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Damn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn/) [Drawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing/) [Drawings Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawings-think-2965188/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [End of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-day/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Going Drawings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-drawings-2965189/) [Keep going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-going/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Pens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pens/) [Projects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/projects/) [Scribbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scribbles/) [The end of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-end-of-the-day/) [Think Scribbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-scribbles-2965187/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheels/)

## Related quotes

> [I am going to do some drawings or paintings...in the mirror of my wardrobe..with myself as a figure doing something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-john/i-am-going-to-do-some-drawings-or-paintings-in-the-mirror-of-my/)

[Gwen John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-john/)

> [Twiddle-twiddle away at my softly clicky keyboard for a while, making twiddly adjustments all along- and then print what I have twiddled. Glare at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/twiddle-twiddle-away-at-my-softly-clicky-keyboard-for-a-while-making/)

[Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/)

> [I handed the test in five minutes before the end of the day. Mrs. Baker took it calmly, then reached into her bottom drawer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-handed-the-test-in-five-minutes-before-the-end-of-the-day-mrs-baker/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is all very well, when the pen flows, but then there are the dark days when imagination deserts one, and it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-aston/it-is-all-very-well-when-the-pen-flows-but-then-there-are-the-dark/)

[Elizabeth Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-aston/)

> [What need had the businessman to scribble or philosophize when he dominated the imagination of his time and the frantic materialism that was his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-kazin/what-need-had-the-businessman-to-scribble-or-philosophize-when-he/)

[Alfred Kazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-kazin/)

> [“Stella scribbled in thick black texta across half the pages of my best storybook, filled with people who ventured where their hearts took them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cameron/stella-scribbled-in-thick-black-texta-across-half-the-pages-of-my/)

[Emma Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cameron/)

> [When I'm travelling, I always take my little notebook and scribble things down as I watch them; I'm very much geared to everything that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/when-i-m-travelling-i-always-take-my-little-notebook-and-scribble/)

[Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/)

> [It is still an unending source of surprise for me how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a piece of paper can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/it-is-still-an-unending-source-of-surprise-for-me-how-a-few-scribbles/)

[Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/)

> ['ve had notebooks, but they are nondescript. All I care about is that they fit in my hand. I scribble down ideas. The problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sefi-atta/ve-had-notebooks-but-they-are-nondescript-all-i-care-about-is-that/)

[Sefi Atta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sefi-atta/)

> [We all scribble poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/we-all-scribble-poetry/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [The stage I chose--a subject fair and free-- 'Tis yours--'tis mine--'tis public property. All common exhibitions open lie, For praise or censure, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/the-stage-i-chose-a-subject-fair-and-free-tis-yours-tis-mine-tis/)

[Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/)

> [“what I knew that morning in March 1977 as we settled around the conference table. I wasn’t even sure how these guys reached us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/what-i-knew-that-morning-in-march-1977-as-we-settled-around-the/)

[Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/)

> [Longhand isn't well suited to my way of writing. I tend to end up with dozens of pages of crossings-out and margin scribbles just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hall/longhand-isn-t-well-suited-to-my-way-of-writing-i-tend-to-end-up-with/)

[Steven Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hall/)

> [A lot of times I'll doodle on something while I'm doing interviews, because sometimes I'm on the phone for three or four hours and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-coyne/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-doodle-on-something-while-i-m-doing-interviews/)

[Wayne Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-coyne/)

> [Songs, and songwriting keeps me inspired, moving forward. I tend to scribble down notes, lyrics or just random thoughts on pieces of paper, backs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waite/songs-and-songwriting-keeps-me-inspired-moving-forward-i-tend-to/)

[John Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waite/)

## More by Frank Gehry

> [I think my attitudes about the past are very traditional. You can't ignore history; you can't escape it even if you want to. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-think-my-attitudes-about-the-past-are-very-traditional-you-can-t/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [In Tokyo, London or Los Angeles people go into McDonald's and the restaurants are identical and people are comfortable. It's unthreatening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/in-tokyo-london-or-los-angeles-people-go-into-mcdonald-s-and-the/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [I'm inspired by a lot of stuff. I always was interested in sculpture and painting and music and literature and all those things. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-m-inspired-by-a-lot-of-stuff-i-always-was-interested-in-sculpture/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [One of my greatest influences is the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/one-of-my-greatest-influences-is-the-italian-artist-gian-lorenzo/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [People live and work in uninspiring environments, but look inside those rooms. Look at the painted walls and the decorations. People rebel even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/people-live-and-work-in-uninspiring-environments-but-look-inside/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Childhood play is nothing more than an expression of our individuality and preparation for human interaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/childhood-play-is-nothing-more-than-an-expression-of-our/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Ideas exist in the marketplace; they are thrown out for everyone to use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/ideas-exist-in-the-marketplace-they-are-thrown-out-for-everyone-to-use/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Green issues have been used as a marketing tool. Sometimes these green claims are completely meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/green-issues-have-been-used-as-a-marketing-tool-sometimes-these-green/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [There are a lot of questions about whether architecture is art. The people who ask that think pretty tract houses are architecture. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/there-are-a-lot-of-questions-about-whether-architecture-is-art-the/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [I used to read more when I was a kid than I do now. It was all sort of fuel for the fire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-used-to-read-more-when-i-was-a-kid-than-i-do-now-it-was-all-sort-of/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [I found myself starting architecture with a deep social, Jewish, liberal conscience, and the belief that architecture is for the people. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-found-myself-starting-architecture-with-a-deep-social-jewish/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [The message I hope to have sent is just the example of being yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/the-message-i-hope-to-have-sent-is-just-the-example-of-being-yourself/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [The whole can be greater than the sum of it's parts, that we all have something to put in the pie to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/the-whole-can-be-greater-than-the-sum-of-it-s-parts-that-we-all-have/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [I used to sketch - that's the way I thought out loud. Then they made a book of my sketches, and I got self-conscious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-used-to-sketch-that-s-the-way-i-thought-out-loud-then-they-made-a/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Bilbao opened in 1997. It was only ten years later that I was asked to do another museum. A lot of other people got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/bilbao-opened-in-1997-it-was-only-ten-years-later-that-i-was-asked-to/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

[Explore all 183 Frank Gehry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

## 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. 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": "I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and that my drawings I think of them as scribbles. I don't think they mean anything to anybody except to me, and then at the end of the day, the end of the project, they wheel out these little drawings and they're damn close to what the finished building is and it's the drawing...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank Gehry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off-the-page-i-just-keep-going/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Artist"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off-the-page-i-just-keep-going/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb7/frank-gehry-2139_artist_i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off_1923051.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I know I draw without taking my pen off the page. I just keep going, and that my drawings I think of them as…” — Frank Gehry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Frank Gehry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I know I draw without taking...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off-the-page-i-just-keep-going/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-know-i-draw-without-taking-my-pen-off-the-page-i-just-keep-going/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
