--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I long ago came to the conclusion that…" description: "\"I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put down accurately the thing I saw and enjoyed, it would not give the observer the kind of feel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg" --- # I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put… ![“I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put down accurately the thing I saw and enjoyed, it would not give the observer the kind of feeling it gave me. I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at-not copy it.” quote by Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg) > “I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put down accurately the thing I saw and enjoyed, it would not give the observer the kind of feeling it gave me. I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at-not copy it.” [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) ## 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 argues that reproducing a scene exactly cannot convey the personal emotional experience; one must translate feeling into a new form. **In simple terms:** Copying a scene misses its feeling; you must recreate it. Key Takeaway Translate personal feeling into your own expression. Themes art perception emotion Mood creative introspective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - painting - writing - music - design - teaching Key Concepts subjectivity interpretation Questions to Reflect On - How can you convey emotion without copying? - What techniques help transform perception into art? A Different Perspective Pure replication may lack depth and personal insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Copies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copies/) [Enjoyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed/) [Enjoyed Observer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed-observer-3003306/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feeling Gave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-gave-310443/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-looking-305438/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [If i could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/if-i-could/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Looking Copy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-copy-3003307/) [Observers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observers/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) ## Related quotes > [I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at - not copy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-had-to-create-an-equivalent-for-what-i-felt-about-what-i-was/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [The feeling it gave me was an odd combination of weightless self-pity and excitement. I understood my life was meaningless, and this knowledge freed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-feeling-it-gave-me-was-an-odd-combination-of-weightless-self-pity/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [“God I am looking for the one thing I have never felt but once, and I would walk through heaven and earth to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/god-i-am-looking-for-the-one-thing-i-have-never-felt-but-once-and-i/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [“I read the paragraph again. A peculiar feeling it gave me. I don't know if you have ever experienced the sensation of seeing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wodehouse/i-read-the-paragraph-again-a-peculiar-feeling-it-gave-me-i-don-t-know/) [Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wodehouse/) > [I love the feeling of when you do something for someone or when they get something you gave them and they are happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/i-love-the-feeling-of-when-you-do-something-for-someone-or-when-they/) [Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/) > [The instant feeling I had after I gave birth was you couldn't get that baby in my hands fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/the-instant-feeling-i-had-after-i-gave-birth-was-you-couldn-t-get/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [“I can't describe the feeling he gave me," Howard said later, "but somehow I knew he had what it takes. Tom and I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/i-can-t-describe-the-feeling-he-gave-me-howard-said-later-but-somehow/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [You've got a lot of Tupac clones, but I don't think I'm one of them. I just think I give people a little piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/you-ve-got-a-lot-of-tupac-clones-but-i-don-t-think-i-m-one-of-them-i/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [You were all I had back then and you knew that. I dependend on you as well, you definitely liked that. you loved the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megannn/you-were-all-i-had-back-then-and-you-knew-that-i-dependend-on-you-as/) [Megannn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megannn/) > [“Every time Wallander stepped into someone's home, he felt as though he were looking at the front cover of a book that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/every-time-wallander-stepped-into-someone-s-home-he-felt-as-though-he/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [“She could remember feeling that disorienting first rush of love, as bright and light as if no one else had ever felt it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-dillon/she-could-remember-feeling-that-disorienting-first-rush-of-love-as/) [Lucy Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-dillon/) > [“Maybe I felt something because I'm always looking for feelings. Without them, I don't know how to act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-bowman/maybe-i-felt-something-because-i-m-always-looking-for-feelings/) [Erin Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-bowman/) > [“A student once walked into the office of Harvard Dean LeBaron Russell Briggs and said he hadn't done his assignment because he hadn't felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebaron-russell-briggs/a-student-once-walked-into-the-office-of-harvard-dean-lebaron-russell/) [LeBaron Russell Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebaron-russell-briggs/) > [I was so absolutely riveted, I felt I was looking into the eyes of the artist. Art just closed the gap of time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-churcher/i-was-so-absolutely-riveted-i-felt-i-was-looking-into-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betty Churcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-churcher/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More by Georgia O'Keeffe > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [When I think of death, I only regret that I will not be able to see this beautiful country anymore unless the Indians are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/when-i-think-of-death-i-only-regret-that-i-will-not-be-able-to-see/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Sometimes I start in a very realistic fashion, and as I go on from one painting to another of the same kind, it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/sometimes-i-start-in-a-very-realistic-fashion-and-as-i-go-on-from-one/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I have a single track mind. I work on an idea for a long time. It's like getting acquainted with a person, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-have-a-single-track-mind-i-work-on-an-idea-for-a-long-time-it-s/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/you-get-whatever-accomplishment-you-are-willing-to-declare/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“I said to myself 'I have things in my head that are not like what anyone has taught me--shapes and idea so near to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-said-to-myself-i-have-things-in-my-head-that-are-not-like-what/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I'd been taught to paint like other people, and I thought, what's the use? I couldn't do any better than they, or even as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-d-been-taught-to-paint-like-other-people-and-i-thought-what-s-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I believe an artist is the last person in the world who can afford to be affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-believe-an-artist-is-the-last-person-in-the-world-who-can-afford-to/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [My first memory is of the brightness of light ... light all around. I was sitting among pillows on a quilt on the ground…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/my-first-memory-is-of-the-brightness-of-light-light-all-around-i-was/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Before I put brush to canvas, I question, 'Is this mine? ...Is it influenced by some idea which I have acquired from some man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/before-i-put-brush-to-canvas-i-question-is-this-mine-is-it-influenced/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I decided to start anew-to strip away what I had been taught, to accept as true my own thinking. This was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-decided-to-start-anew-to-strip-away-what-i-had-been-taught-to/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [“I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to ... I found that I could say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-decided-i-was-a-very-stupid-fool-not-to-at-least-paint-as-i-wanted/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [My painting is what I have to give back to the world for what the world gives to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/my-painting-is-what-i-have-to-give-back-to-the-world-for-what-the/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [He wanted head and hands and arms on a pillow - in many different positions. I was asked to move my hands in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/he-wanted-head-and-hands-and-arms-on-a-pillow-in-many-different/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [I feel there is something unexplored about woman that only a woman can explore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-feel-there-is-something-unexplored-about-woman-that-only-a-woman/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) [Explore all 151 Georgia O'Keeffe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put down accurately the thing I saw and enjoyed, it would not give the observer the kind of feeling it gave me. I had to create an equivalent for what I felt about what I was looking at-not copy it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Georgia O'Keeffe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-even-if-i-could-put-down/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-even-if-i-could-put-down/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/georgia-o-keeffe-2763_art_i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-e_1116841.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I long ago came to the conclusion that even if I could put down accurately the thing I saw and enjoyed, it…” — Georgia O'Keeffe", "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": "Georgia O'Keeffe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I long ago came to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-even-if-i-could-put-down/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/i-long-ago-came-to-the-conclusion-that-even-if-i-could-put-down/#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 } } ] } ```