--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Would that we could at once paint with…" description: "\"Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the pencil, how much is lost!\" — Gotthold Ephraim Lessing" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg" --- # Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the… ![“Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the pencil, how much is lost!” quote by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg) > “Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the pencil, how much is lost!” [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic expression loses fidelity when mediated through tools, limiting direct perception. **In simple terms:** Seeing directly is richer than through instruments. Key Takeaway Seek direct experience when possible. Themes art perception communication Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - painting - drawing - visual design - education - technology Key Concepts aesthetics sensory mediation Questions to Reflect On - How does technology alter our sensory experience? - Can we ever truly replicate direct perception? A Different Perspective Mediated art can never fully capture the original vision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arm Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arm-pencil-4419417/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-long-1047001/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-way/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-eyes-464732/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Let women paint their eyes with tints of chastity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/let-women-paint-their-eyes-with-tints-of-chastity/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Don't paint me as how you see me in your eyes because you still don't know the whole part of me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonora-r-aquino/don-t-paint-me-as-how-you-see-me-in-your-eyes-because-you-still-don-t/) [Leonora R Aquino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonora-r-aquino/) > [“I could have mixed a thousand colors together, but I would never have been able to paint his eyes as I saw them then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/i-could-have-mixed-a-thousand-colors-together-but-i-would-never-have/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [Nobody could paint eyes like El Greco and nobody can paint eyes like Walter Keane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-keane/nobody-could-paint-eyes-like-el-greco-and-nobody-can-paint-eyes-like/) [Walter Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-keane/) > [I can always paint very well with my eyes, but with my hands it doesn't always work out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathe-kollwitz/i-can-always-paint-very-well-with-my-eyes-but-with-my-hands-it-doesn/) [Kathe Kollwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathe-kollwitz/) > [When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amedeo-modigliani/when-i-know-your-soul-i-will-paint-your-eyes/) [Amedeo Modigliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amedeo-modigliani/) > [I wish I could be more serious about painting. I think there may be something going on there and I should pursue it. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/i-wish-i-could-be-more-serious-about-painting-i-think-there-may-be/) [Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/) > [We were going for an otherworldly feel, you know a lot of people tell us we look like aliens anyway. I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-origliasso/we-were-going-for-an-otherworldly-feel-you-know-a-lot-of-people-tell/) [Jessica Origliasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-origliasso/) > [He fell in love with the way she closed her eyes, long before he fell in love with her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/he-fell-in-love-with-the-way-she-closed-her-eyes-long-before-he-fell/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“He was tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/he-was-tall-but-exceedingly-lank-with-narrow-shoulders-long-arms-and/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [“This is impossible." "This what?" I clutch the collar of his shirt in my fingers. His face is so close l study the varying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-jordan/this-is-impossible-this-what-i-clutch-the-collar-of-his-shirt-in-my/) [Sophie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-jordan/) > [Faith hasn't got no eyes, but she's long-legged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/faith-hasn-t-got-no-eyes-but-she-s-long-legged/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [The longer he looks into your eyes the more he is interested in you, of he can't look into your eyes long enough, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-he-looks-into-your-eyes-the-more-he-is-interested-in-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the promise implicit in the veiled eyes, the long, flexible mouth, the curiously vital hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-promise-implicit-in-the-veiled-eyes-the-long-flexible-mouth-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Justice should remove the bandage from her eyes long enough to distinguish between the vicious and the unfortunate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/justice-should-remove-the-bandage-from-her-eyes-long-enough-to/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) ## More by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing > [To look forward to pleasure is also a pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/to-look-forward-to-pleasure-is-also-a-pleasure/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [They make glorious shipwreck who are lost in seeking worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/they-make-glorious-shipwreck-who-are-lost-in-seeking-worlds/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [A single grateful thought toward heaven is the most perfect prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/a-single-grateful-thought-toward-heaven-is-the-most-perfect-prayer/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [Mocking laughter from Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/mocking-laughter-from-hell/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [The superstition in which we were brought up never loses its power over us, even after we understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/the-superstition-in-which-we-were-brought-up-never-loses-its-power/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [He who doesn't lose his wits over certain things has no wits to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/he-who-doesn-t-lose-his-wits-over-certain-things-has-no-wits-to-lose/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [Joy makes us giddy, dizzy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/joy-makes-us-giddy-dizzy/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [The real beggar is indeed the true and only king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/the-real-beggar-is-indeed-the-true-and-only-king/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [Well was it said by a man of sagacity that dancing was a sort of privileged and reputable folly, and that the best way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/well-was-it-said-by-a-man-of-sagacity-that-dancing-was-a-sort-of/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [We moderns do not believe in demigods, but our smallest hero we expect to feel and act as a demigod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/we-moderns-do-not-believe-in-demigods-but-our-smallest-hero-we-expect/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [Resist as much as thou wilt; heaven's ways are heaven's ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/resist-as-much-as-thou-wilt-heaven-s-ways-are-heaven-s-ways/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [The gift of prayer is not always at our command.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/the-gift-of-prayer-is-not-always-at-our-command/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [It is medicine, not poison, I offer you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/it-is-medicine-not-poison-i-offer-you/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [The lion is ashamed, it's true, when he hunts with the fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/the-lion-is-ashamed-it-s-true-when-he-hunts-with-the-fox/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) > [With a clear sky, a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you will have friends in plenty; but let fortune frown, and the firmament…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/with-a-clear-sky-a-bright-sun-and-a-gentle-breeze-you-will-have/) [Gotthold Ephraim Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) [Explore all 68 Gotthold Ephraim Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/) ## 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": "Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the pencil, how much is lost!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gotthold Ephraim Lessing" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-the-eyes-in-the-long-way-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-the-eyes-in-the-long-way-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/510/gotthold-ephraim-lessing-9335_eye_would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-t_1323669.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Would that we could at once paint with the eyes! In the long way from the eye through the arm to the pencil…” — Gotthold Ephraim Lessing", "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": "Gotthold Ephraim Lessing", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Would that we could at once...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-the-eyes-in-the-long-way-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotthold-ephraim-lessing/would-that-we-could-at-once-paint-with-the-eyes-in-the-long-way-from/#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 } } ] } ```