---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would like to try to understand what…"
description: "\"I would like to try to understand what is. We know very little, and I am trying to do it by creating analogies. Almost every work of art is an analogy...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg"
---

#  I would like to try to understand what is. We know very…

![“I would like to try to understand what is. We know very little, and I am trying to do it by creating analogies. Almost every work of art is an analogy.” quote by Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg)

> “I would like to try to understand what is. We know very little, and I am trying to do it by creating analogies. Almost every work of art is an analogy.”

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

## 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 seeks to understand existence by using analogies, noting that all art functions as an analogy.

**In simple terms:** Art helps explore what things are through comparison.

Key Takeaway

Use analogies to grasp complex ideas.

Themes

philosophy art understanding creativity inquiry ontology

Mood

thoughtful introspective inquisitive

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- creative practice
- education
- research
- public speaking

Key Concepts

analogical reasoning artistic expression conceptual exploration

Questions to Reflect On

- How do analogies shape perception?
- What are limits of artistic analogy?

A Different Perspective

analogy may oversimplify reality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Analogies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/) [Analogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogy/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Works of art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-of-art/)

## Related quotes

> [Almost every work of art is an analogy. When I make a representation of something, this too is an analogy to what exists; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/almost-every-work-of-art-is-an-analogy-when-i-make-a-representation/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Our task is not to find the maximum amount of content in a work of art, mush less to squeeze more content out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/our-task-is-not-to-find-the-maximum-amount-of-content-in-a-work-of/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [The aim of all commentary on art now should be to make works of art - and, by analogy, our own experience - more,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-aim-of-all-commentary-on-art-now-should-be-to-make-works-of-art/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [When I make a representation of something, this, too, is an analogy to what exists; I make an effort to get a grip on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/when-i-make-a-representation-of-something-this-too-is-an-analogy-to/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [“But no. That was analogy rather than homology. What in the humanities they would call a heroic simile, if he understood the term, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/but-no-that-was-analogy-rather-than-homology-what-in-the-humanities/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [We often attribute 'understanding' and other cognitive predicates by metaphor and analogy to cars, adding machines, and other artifacts, but nothing is proved by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/we-often-attribute-understanding-and-other-cognitive-predicates-by/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [I do not understand this analogy," Mencheres muttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-do-not-understand-this-analogy-mencheres-muttered/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [People sometimes say, "Isn't it boring, isn't it always the same? It's the same lines." I go, "Well, do you play tennis? Because that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/people-sometimes-say-isn-t-it-boring-isn-t-it-always-the-same-it-s/)

[Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/)

> [Life is like an analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-allston/life-is-like-an-analogy/)

[Aaron Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-allston/)

> [The analogy I use is that 'World of Warcraft' is like going to the mall: you see a ton of people there, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-romero/the-analogy-i-use-is-that-world-of-warcraft-is-like-going-to-the-mall/)

[John Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-romero/)

> [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/)

[Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/)

> [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/)

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

## More by Gerhard Richter

> [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [They are specific places I have discovered here and there when I am on the road to take photos. I go especially to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/they-are-specific-places-i-have-discovered-here-and-there-when-i-am/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [To me, grey is the welcome and only possible equivalent for indifference, noncommitment, absence of opinion, absence of shape. But grey, like formlessness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/to-me-grey-is-the-welcome-and-only-possible-equivalent-for/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Now that we do not have priests and philosophers any more, artists are the most important people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/now-that-we-do-not-have-priests-and-philosophers-any-more-artists-are/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Yes, we were amazed when that happened. It was a real joke to us. Konrad Lueg and I did a Happening, and we used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/yes-we-were-amazed-when-that-happened-it-was-a-real-joke-to-us-konrad/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [A work of art is itself an object, first of all, and so manipulation is unavoidable: it's a prerequisite. But I needed the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/a-work-of-art-is-itself-an-object-first-of-all-and-so-manipulation-is/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [The photograph is the only picture that can truly convey information, even if it is technically faulty and the object can barely be identified.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/the-photograph-is-the-only-picture-that-can-truly-convey-information/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Perhaps the choice is a negative one, in that I was trying to avoid everything that touched on well-known issues - or any issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/perhaps-the-choice-is-a-negative-one-in-that-i-was-trying-to-avoid/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [Gray is the color... the most important of all... absent of opinion, nothing, neither/nor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/gray-is-the-color-the-most-important-of-all-absent-of-opinion-nothing/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [All photographs are far more important than any painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/all-photographs-are-far-more-important-than-any-painting/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [You can compare it to dreams: you have a very specific and individual pictorial language that you either accept or that you can translate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/you-can-compare-it-to-dreams-you-have-a-very-specific-and-individual/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [What attracted me about my mirrors was the idea of having nothing manipulated in them. A piece of bought mirror. Just hung there, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/what-attracted-me-about-my-mirrors-was-the-idea-of-having-nothing/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [But it is also untrue that I have nothing specific in mind. As with my landscapes: I see countless landscapes, photograph barely 1 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/but-it-is-also-untrue-that-i-have-nothing-specific-in-mind-as-with-my/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [My landscapes are not only beautiful or nostalgic, with a Romantic or classical suggestion of lost Paradises, but above all 'untruthful'...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/my-landscapes-are-not-only-beautiful-or-nostalgic-with-a-romantic-or/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

> [I have always been structured. What has changed is the proportions. Now it is eight hours of paperwork and one of painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-have-always-been-structured-what-has-changed-is-the-proportions-now/)

[Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

[Explore all 176 Gerhard Richter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/)

## More Analogies quotes

> [I always use the analogy that when you go to a jeans store and put on a new pair of jeans, it's a pair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bana/i-always-use-the-analogy-that-when-you-go-to-a-jeans-store-and-put-on/)

[Eric Bana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bana/)

> [ Kanye \[West\] just says the funniest analogies that are so random. I should start keeping a book - in 20 years, I'll have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/kanye-west-just-says-the-funniest-analogies-that-are-so-random-i/)

[Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/)

> [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/)

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

> [Calvin: Today for show and tell, I've brought a tiny miracle of nature: a single snowflake! I think we might all learn a lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-today-for-show-and-tell-i-ve-brought-a-tiny-miracle-of-nature/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [For some people, getting pregnant is as easy as catching cold." And there certainly was an analogy there: Colds and babies were both caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/for-some-people-getting-pregnant-is-as-easy-as-catching-cold-and/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he or she stole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukas-foss/that-is-why-the-analogy-of-stealing-does-not-work-with-a-thief-we/)

[Lukas Foss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukas-foss/)

> [The nude does not simply represent the body, but relates it, by analogy, to all structures that have become part of our imaginative experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-nude-does-not-simply-represent-the-body-but-relates-it-by-analogy/)

[Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/)

> [His lessons were chock-full of analogies for a variety of musical situations. Those little things were my favorites. 'No . . . that's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-laureano/his-lessons-were-chock-full-of-analogies-for-a-variety-of-musical/)

Manny Laureano

> [E-books are impervious to analogy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/e-books-are-impervious-to-analogy/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [Imagination runs out. But it makes sense, right? We probably just imagine things based on what we already know, and we run out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/imagination-runs-out-but-it-makes-sense-right-we-probably-just/)

[Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/)

> [Apt analogies are among the most formidable weapons of the rhetorician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/apt-analogies-are-among-the-most-formidable-weapons-of-the-rhetorician/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [In my photographic work I'm generally attracted to places that contain memories, history, atmospheres and stories. I'm interested in the places where people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/in-my-photographic-work-i-m-generally-attracted-to-places-that/)

[Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/)

> [There is then no analogy whatever between the operations of the Chess-Player, and those of the calculating machine of Mr. Babbage , and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/there-is-then-no-analogy-whatever-between-the-operations-of-the-chess/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [The expressive techniques of painting are capable of conveying an analogy but not an impossible photograph of a moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-vuillard/the-expressive-techniques-of-painting-are-capable-of-conveying-an/)

[Edouard Vuillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-vuillard/)

[Browse all 311 Analogies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analogies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I would like to try to understand what is. We know very little, and I am trying to do it by creating analogies. Almost every work of art is an analogy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gerhard Richter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-is-we-know-very-little-and-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Analogies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-is-we-know-very-little-and-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff1/gerhard-richter-2249_analogies_i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-i_2388275.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I would like to try to understand what is. We know very little, and I am trying to do it by creating…” — Gerhard Richter",
                "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": "Gerhard Richter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I would like to try to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-is-we-know-very-little-and-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-would-like-to-try-to-understand-what-is-we-know-very-little-and-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```