--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing harder to learn than…" description: "\"There is nothing harder to learn than painting and nothing which most people take less trouble about learning. An art school is a place where about thr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_art_there-is-nothing-harder-to-learn-than-pa_1584259.jpg" --- # There is nothing harder to learn than painting and nothing… ![“There is nothing harder to learn than painting and nothing which most people take less trouble about learning. An art school is a place where about three people work with feverish energy and everybody else idles to a degree that I should have conceived unattainable by human nature.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_art_there-is-nothing-harder-to-learn-than-pa_1584259.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_art_there-is-nothing-harder-to-learn-than-pa_1584259.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ec/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_art_there-is-nothing-harder-to-learn-than-pa_1584259.jpg) > “There is nothing harder to learn than painting and nothing which most people take less trouble about learning. An art school is a place where about three people work with feverish energy and everybody else idles to a degree that I should have conceived unattainable by human nature.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-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. Learning to paint demands intense dedication, yet many avoid it, preferring idle pursuits despite its rewarding challenge. **In simple terms:** Painting is hard but worthwhile; many avoid it. Key Takeaway Commit to practice despite difficulty. Themes art learning dedication motivation Mood inspirational reflective encouraging Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - art classes - self‑study - studio practice Key Concepts skill acquisition effort creative expression Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles stop you from starting a creative skill? - How can you make practice enjoyable? 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“He said, one has to learn that painting well - in the academic and technical sense - comes right at the bottom of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/he-said-one-has-to-learn-that-painting-well-in-the-academic-and/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [I've just kept on ceaselessly painting in order to learn painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-ve-just-kept-on-ceaselessly-painting-in-order-to-learn-painting/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [I think I am beginning to learn something about painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/titian/i-think-i-am-beginning-to-learn-something-about-painting/) [Titian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/titian/) > [With each film of mine, I was learning about the art of movie-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyadarshan/with-each-film-of-mine-i-was-learning-about-the-art-of-movie-making/) [Priyadarshan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyadarshan/) > [Learning is as much an art as teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/learning-is-as-much-an-art-as-teaching/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [I'm an actor, and I keep observing people and their reactions to figure out what they are thinking. There's only so much you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preity-zinta/i-m-an-actor-and-i-keep-observing-people-and-their-reactions-to/) [Preity Zinta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preity-zinta/) > [One learns the art of dying by learning the art of living: how to become master of the present moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-n-goenka/one-learns-the-art-of-dying-by-learning-the-art-of-living-how-to/) [S. N. Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-n-goenka/) > [“One never finishes learning about art. There are always new things to discover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-never-finishes-learning-about-art-there-are-always-new-things-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Learning the art of painting is not an easy task. It takes a great deal of intelligence, keen analysis, study and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-alwin-payne/learning-the-art-of-painting-is-not-an-easy-task-it-takes-a-great/) [Edgar Alwin Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-alwin-payne/) > [“The process of learning an art can be divided conveniently into two parts: one, the mastery of the theory; the other, the mastery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-process-of-learning-an-art-can-be-divided-conveniently-into-two/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [There are times when quantity is at least as important as quality in learning an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-watt-evans/there-are-times-when-quantity-is-at-least-as-important-as-quality-in/) [Lawrence Watt-Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-watt-evans/) > [Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned - not to see what is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-mitchell/besides-learning-to-see-there-is-another-art-to-be-learned-not-to-see/) [Maria Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-mitchell/) > [Acting is definitely an incredible pursuit, but on the other side, it's a business, and learning where art meets business was a huge lesson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolk/acting-is-definitely-an-incredible-pursuit-but-on-the-other-side-it-s/) [James Wolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolk/) > [It takes quite a bit of time to become enlightened. But it really is not so different from learning any other art; all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-takes-quite-a-bit-of-time-to-become-enlightened-but-it-really-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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