---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are talking about an artist; What he…"
description: "\"“We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can only make his effects out of some of the mat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg"
---

#  We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him…

![“We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can only make his effects out of some of the materials of his soul.” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg)

> ““We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can only make his effects out of some of the materials of his soul.””

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

## About This Quote

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

True art must reflect the creator's inner self; the soul supplies the material for authentic expression.

**In simple terms:** Art should mirror the artist's inner self.

Key Takeaway

Create from genuine inner material.

Themes

artistic authenticity inner self creativity philosophy

Mood

contemplative inspirational

Type

philosophical creative

When to use this quote

- painting
- writing
- music composition
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

aesthetics psychology spirituality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one tap into the soul for creation?
- What limits arise when inner material is blocked?

A Different Perspective

Artists may struggle to access deep inner material.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [Meeting and talking to the artist adds a special element to collecting contemporary art that makes the work an irreplaceable treasure rather than just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-west-basden/meeting-and-talking-to-the-artist-adds-a-special-element-to/)

Ernest West Basden

> [When I'm talking to an artist, I'm not being malicious when I tell them their music is wack. These are artists with mad money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/when-i-m-talking-to-an-artist-i-m-not-being-malicious-when-i-tell/)

[Charlamagne Tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/)

> [My process in making a music video is pretty much a formula of talking to the artist. I've never made a video where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adria-petty/my-process-in-making-a-music-video-is-pretty-much-a-formula-of/)

[Adria Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adria-petty/)

> [I'm not an artist that makes singles, I'm an artist that makes albums, and it's a totally different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-m-not-an-artist-that-makes-singles-i-m-an-artist-that-makes-albums/)

[Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/)

> [An artist makes something to be physically experienced by another person. It's a raw, freely chosen, interpersonal relationship between the maker and the viewer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-taaffe/an-artist-makes-something-to-be-physically-experienced-by-another/)

[Philip Taaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-taaffe/)

> [Art is a private thing, the artist makes it for himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-tynan/art-is-a-private-thing-the-artist-makes-it-for-himself/)

[Kenneth Tynan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-tynan/)

> [Every artist makes herself born. You must bring the artist into the world yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/every-artist-makes-herself-born-you-must-bring-the-artist-into-the/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Whatever an artist's personal feelings are, as soon as an artist fills a certain area on the canvas or circumscribes it, he becomes historical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-de-kooning/whatever-an-artist-s-personal-feelings-are-as-soon-as-an-artist-fills-2/)

[Willem de Kooning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-de-kooning/)

> [The artist is one who makes a concentrated statement about the world in which he lives and that statement tends to become impersonal-it tends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-strand/the-artist-is-one-who-makes-a-concentrated-statement-about-the-world/)

[Paul Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-strand/)

> [I'm not an artist. An artist makes an object. Me, it's not an object, I work in history, I'm a storyteller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/i-m-not-an-artist-an-artist-makes-an-object-me-it-s-not-an-object-i/)

[Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/)

> [I just want to be an artist that makes exactly what he feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle/i-just-want-to-be-an-artist-that-makes-exactly-what-he-feels/)

[Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle/)

> [A fine artist is one who makes familiar things new and new things familiar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-nizer/a-fine-artist-is-one-who-makes-familiar-things-new-and-new-things/)

[Louis Nizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-nizer/)

> [Once an artist makes his personal life public, he can't close that door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romeo-santos/once-an-artist-makes-his-personal-life-public-he-can-t-close-that-door/)

[Romeo Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romeo-santos/)

> [The need to be a great artist makes it hard to be an artist. The need to produce a great work of art makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/the-need-to-be-a-great-artist-makes-it-hard-to-be-an-artist-the-need/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [The wise artist makes peace with the fact that he will understand less than he had anticipated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/the-wise-artist-makes-peace-with-the-fact-that-he-will-understand/)

[Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/)

## More by G.K. Chesterton

> [“I never use paradox. The statements I make are wearisome and obvious common sense. I have even been driven to the tedium of reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/i-never-use-paradox-the-statements-i-make-are-wearisome-and-obvious/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Nothing, again, could be more prosaic and impenetrable than the domestic energies of Miss Diana Duke. But Innocent had somehow blundered on the discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/nothing-again-could-be-more-prosaic-and-impenetrable-than-the/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-mass-of-men-have-been-forced-to-be-gay-about-the-little-things/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“ask yourself how many people you have met who grumbled at a thing as incurable, and how many who attacked it as curable? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/ask-yourself-how-many-people-you-have-met-who-grumbled-at-a-thing-as/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“The human race, to which so many of my readers belong, has been playing at children's games from the beginning, and will probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-human-race-to-which-so-many-of-my-readers-belong-has-been-playing/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Internationalism is in any case hostile to democracy….The only purely popular government is local, and founded on local knowledge. The citizens can rule the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/internationalism-is-in-any-case-hostile-to-democracy-the-only-purely/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“There was a short railway official travelling up to the terminus, three fairly short market-gardeners picked up two stations afterwards, one very short widow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-was-a-short-railway-official-travelling-up-to-the-terminus/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Humility is the mother of giants. One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/humility-is-the-mother-of-giants-one-sees-great-things-from-the/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/anything-worth-doing-is-worth-doing-badly/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/there-exists-in-such-a-case-a-certain-institution-or-law-let-us-say/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Man, by a blind instinct, knew that if once things were wildly questioned, reason could be questioned first. The authority of priests to absolve,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-by-a-blind-instinct-knew-that-if-once-things-were-wildly/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/it-is-idle-to-talk-always-of-the-alternative-of-reason-and-faith/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“But in order that life should be a story or romance to us, it is necessary that a great part of it, at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/but-in-order-that-life-should-be-a-story-or-romance-to-us-it-is/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Buddhism seeks after God with the largest conception it can find, the all-producing and all-absorbing One; Christianity seeks after God with the most elementary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/buddhism-seeks-after-god-with-the-largest-conception-it-can-find-the/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

> [“Man is more himself, more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing and grief superficial.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/man-is-more-himself-more-manlike-when-joy-is-the-fundamental-thing/)

[G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

[Explore all 853 G.K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/)

## More Art quotes

> [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/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“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

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can only make his effects out of some of the materials of his soul.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "G.K. Chesterton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-makes-outside-him-must/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-makes-outside-him-must/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a0/g-k-chesterton-224_art_we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-m_1397071.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are talking about an artist; What he makes outside him must correspond to something inside him; he can…” — G.K. Chesterton",
                "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": "G.K. Chesterton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We are talking about an artist;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-makes-outside-him-must/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-are-talking-about-an-artist-what-he-makes-outside-him-must/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
